A group of University of Toronto students has emerged as the winners of the National Football League’s 2023 Big Data Bowl.
Earlier this month, third-year computer science student Daniel Hocevar, third-year engineering science student Hassaan Inayatali and second-year statistical science student Aaron White were crowned the champions of one of the largest sports analytics competitions in the world.
The team won the contest with their improved statistical model that transforms data derived from motion-tracking chips embedded in the players’ uniforms into animated heat maps.
The colourful visualizations provide real-time analysis of the pocket of space around the quarterback, including the amount of pressure he is under at any given moment and how long it is likely to last.
The trio – who are all on the leadership team for University of Toronto Sports Analytics Student Group (UTSPAN) – were among eight finalists who presented their projects to football professionals at the 2023 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Inayatali told the Toronto Sun that they will split the US$30,000 cash prize from the competition.
“For all of us, while we were really happy to have won, it was more a validation – just because the way we were proceeding was correct,” Inayatali told the newspaper. “All of the work we put into it, down to the nitty-gritty detail, it all paid off.”
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Top to bottom: U of T undergraduate students Daniel Hocevar, Aaron White and Hassaan Inayatali (Photo: Tyler Irving)