William Fields (Canadian football)

Last updated

William Fields
Ottawa Redblacks
2023, Coach Will Fields.jpg
Fields with the Argonauts in 2023
Born: (1978-06-21) June 21, 1978 (age 46)
McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Career information
CFL status American
Position(s) Defensive coordinator
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight175 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)
2022–2024 Toronto Argonauts
(Secondary coach)
2024 Toronto Argonauts
(Defensive co-coordinator)
2025–present Ottawa Redblacks
(Defensive coordinator)
As player
2001–2004 Calgary Stampeders
2005–2006 Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2007 Arizona Rattlers
2008 Georgia Force
Career highlights and awards
Career stats
  • Playing stats at CFL.ca (archive)

William Fields (born June 21, 1978) is a former professional Canadian football defensive back in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and is the defensive coordinator for the Ottawa Redblacks. He is a three-time Grey Cup champion, once as a player with the Calgary Stampeders in 2001 and twice as a coach with the Argonauts in 2022 and 2024.

Contents

College career

Fields played college football for the Houston Cougars from 1996 to 1999. [1] [2]

Professional career

Calgary Stampeders

Fields 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

Fields 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

Fields played for the Arizona Rattlers in 2007 and the Georgia Force in 2008. [1]

Coaching career

After 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] In his first year in this role, he helped the Argonauts to victory in the 111th Grey Cup game.

Ottawa Redblacks

On January 6, 2025, Fields was named the defensive coordinator for the Ottawa Redblacks. [13]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "William Fields". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "William Fields". Toronto Argonauts . Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Fields of dream". Canadian Football League. May 8, 2001. Archived from the original on September 11, 2002.
  4. 1 2 "Fields of dreams". Calgary Stampeders. April 14, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Blue Bombers release Fields". Canadian Football League. August 8, 2006.
  6. ↑ "Alouettes add William Fields to coaching staff". Montreal Alouettes. April 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Ticats announce 2017 coaching staff". Canadian Football League. February 9, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Tiger-Cats announce 2018 coaching staff". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. March 1, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Eskimos unveil 2019 coaching staff and announce reorganization of football operations". Global News. January 3, 2019.
  10. ↑ "William Fields leaves Esks for XFL coaching opportunity". Canadian Football League. May 9, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Argos announce 2022 coaching staff". Canadian Football League. January 19, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Argos Announce Kevin Eiben & William Fields as Defensive Co-Coordinators; Name Myron Lewis as defensive backs coach". Toronto Argonauts. May 1, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Redblacks name William Fields Defensive Coordinator". Ottawa Redblacks. January 6, 2025.
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