William Fields (born June 21, 1978) is a former professional Canadian football defensive back in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and is currently the defensive co-coordinator and secondary coach for the Toronto Argonauts. He is a two-time Grey Cup champion, once as a player with the Calgary Stampeders in 2001 and once as a coach with the Argonauts in 2022.
| Toronto Argonauts | |
 Fields with the Argonauts in 2023 | |
| Born: | June 21, 1978 McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | Defensive co-coordinator Secondary coach |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| College | Houston |
| High school | Copperas Cove High |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 2014 | Simon Fraser Clan (Defensive backs coach) |
| 2015 | BC Lions (Ass. defensive backs coach) |
| 2016 | Montreal Alouettes (Ass. defensive backs coach) |
| 2017 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Defensive and special teams assistant) |
| 2018 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Defensive backs coach) |
| 2019 | Edmonton Eskimos (Ass. defensive backs coach) |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Vipers (Secondary coach) |
| 2020–2021 | Peru State College (Defensive coordinator Defensive backs coach) |
| 2022–present | Toronto Argonauts (Secondary coach) |
| 2024–present | Toronto Argonauts (Secondary coach) |
| As player | |
| 2001–2004 | Calgary Stampeders |
| 2005–2006 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| 2007 | Arizona Rattlers |
| 2008 | Georgia Force |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career stats | |
| |
College career
editFields played college football for the Houston Cougars from 1996 to 1999.[1][2]
Professional career
editCalgary Stampeders
editFields signed with the Calgary Stampeders on May 8, 2001.[3] He played and started in all 18 regular season games where he recorded 41 defensive tackles ad five interceptions.[1] Fields finished his rookie year as a Grey Cup champion as the Stampeders defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 89th Grey Cup game.[4] He played in three more seasons with the team where he totaled 165 tackles and nine interceptions in 65 regular season games.[4]
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
editFields signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in March 2005 and played and started in all 18 regular season games where he had 45 defensive tackles and four interceptions.[1][5] In 2006, he played in four games and made six defensive tackles before being released on August 8, 2006.[1][5]
Arena Football League
editFields played for the Arizona Rattlers in 2007 and the Georgia Force in 2008.[1]
Coaching career
editAfter coaching for five years with Cypress Christian School as a defensive backs coach, Fields joined the BC Lions as a scout in 2013.[2] He then coached in the NCAA for the Simon Fraser Clan in 2014 before re-joining the Lions as an assistant defensive backs coach and quality control coach in 2015.[2] On April 13, 2016, Fields joined the Montreal Alouettes as an assistant defensive backs coach and quality control coach and served in that role for one season.[6]
On February 9, 2017, it was announced that Fields had joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a defensive and special teams assistant.[7] In 2018, he was promoted to defensive backs coach with the Tiger-Cats.[8]
Fields was hired by the Edmonton Eskimos for the 2019 season as a defensive assistant, but later resigned on May 9, 2019, to join the Tampa Bay Vipers as the defensive backs coach for their 2020 season.[9][10] After the Vipers and the XFL ceased operations, Fields was hired by Peru State College to serve as their defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.[2]
On January 19, 2022, it was announced that Fields had joined the Toronto Argonauts as the team's secondary coach.[11] In his first year with the Argonauts, he won his first Grey Cup as a coach as the team defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 109th Grey Cup game.[2] On May 1, 2024, it was announced that Fields had been named defensive co-coordinator in addition to retaining his duties as secondary coach.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "William Fields". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "William Fields". Toronto Argonauts. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ "Fields of dream". Canadian Football League. May 8, 2001. Archived from the original on September 11, 2002.
- ^ a b "Fields of dreams". Calgary Stampeders. April 14, 2016.
- ^ a b "Blue Bombers release Fields". Canadian Football League. August 8, 2006.
- ^ "Alouettes add William Fields to coaching staff". Montreal Alouettes. April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Ticats announce 2017 coaching staff". Canadian Football League. February 9, 2017.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats announce 2018 coaching staff". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Eskimos unveil 2019 coaching staff and announce reorganization of football operations". Global News. January 3, 2019.
- ^ "William Fields leaves Esks for XFL coaching opportunity". Canadian Football League. May 9, 2019.
- ^ "Argos announce 2022 coaching staff". Canadian Football League. January 19, 2022.
- ^ "Argos Announce Kevin Eiben & William Fields as Defensive Co-Coordinators; Name Myron Lewis as defensive backs coach". Toronto Argonauts. May 1, 2024.