University of the Pacific alumna Sarah Bailey '15 always wanted to work in sports, but she never thought she would be directly involved in helping the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl.

Bailey serves as manager of football analytics and data for the Rams who, like many professional sports teams, rely heavily on data to determine matters such as player selection through the draft and trades, opponent tendencies and game preparation and strategy.

“You don’t want to talk math. That can be overpowering. By summarizing your work and just being an efficient communicator you can provide others with tools. We are very good with skeptics,” Bailey said in a video the Rams produced about their analytics team, which they call the “Nerds.”

Bailey was named Woman of the Year by the Sports Analytics Club Program, a non-profit that works with students across the country to promote STEM education through sports. She received the award last year in the category of professional sports data scientist and serves as an advisor to the group.

"I am passionate about numbers and I'm proud to work with this group to promote STEM relevant professional careers in sports for young women and men," Bailey said in an interview after receiving the award.

Bailey's journey to the NFL began when she met Nicoletta Ruhl, granddaughter of Pacific alumnus Alex Spanos '48 and director of digital media for the then San Diego Chargers, at a campus event. Their connection landed Bailey an internship with the Chargers.

"Nicoletta gave me my first opportunity to work in professional sports and I was only introduced to her because of her connection to Pacific," said Bailey. "The university offers such an intimate and personalized learning environment, but also has all of the opportunities a major university offers."

Bailey came to Pacific as a transfer student and was a scholar athlete on the cross country team. She received her degree in mathematics.

"I was interested in coming to Pacific because I wanted to run in a more competitive program and also the university had such a strong reputation for its academic programs," she explained. "I knew this was the place for me to follow my dream of having a career in sports."

Josh Jones, head coach of Pacific's cross country and track teams, remembers Bailey for her work ethic and focus.

"Sarah is a very smart and determined person, who always tried to optimize her performance," said Jones. "She was always someone who knew what she wanted to do and she would go after it. Her success in the NFL does not surprise me one bit and she is a great success story for our program."