| William Fields | |
| Image Upright: | 1 |
| Team: | Toronto Argonauts |
| Position1: | Defensive co-coordinator Secondary coach |
| Birth Date: | 21 June 1978 |
| Birth Place: | McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 8 |
| Weight Lbs: | 175 |
| College: | Houston |
| High School: | Copperas Cove High |
| Playing Team1: | Calgary Stampeders |
| Playing Team2: | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| Playing Team3: | Arizona Rattlers |
| Playing Team4: | Georgia Force |
| Coaching Years1: | 2014 |
| Coaching Team1: | Simon Fraser Clan (Defensive backs coach) |
| Coaching Team2: | BC Lions (Ass. defensive backs coach) |
| Coaching Team3: | Montreal Alouettes (Ass. defensive backs coach) |
| Coaching Team4: | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Defensive and special teams assistant) |
| Coaching Team5: | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Defensive backs coach) |
| Coaching Team6: | Edmonton Eskimos (Ass. defensive backs coach) |
| Coaching Team7: | Tampa Bay Vipers (Secondary coach) |
| Coaching Years8: | 2020–2021 |
| Coaching Team8: | Peru State College (Defensive coordinator Defensive backs coach) |
| Coaching Years9: | –present |
| Coaching Team9: | Toronto Argonauts (Secondary coach) |
| Coaching Years10: | –present |
| Coaching Team10: | Toronto Argonauts (Secondary coach) |
| Import: | yes |
| Career Highlights: | |
| Cfl-Archive: | https://web.archive.org/web/20081013083631/http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/218 |
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 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.
Fields played college football for the Houston Cougars from 1996 to 1999.[1] [2]
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]
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]
Fields played for the Arizona Rattlers in 2007 and the Georgia Force in 2008.[1]
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.