Sooners’ safety Pat Fields is making an impact in the classroom as well as the football field. On Wednesday, the National Football Foundation announced that the veteran defensive back is a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
According to the NFF, the Campbell Trophy is awarded to the best football scholar-athlete in the nation for combined academic and athletic excellence. It is not limited to a specific position group, as all senior or graduate students with a 3.2 or higher GPA are eligible for the honor. Candidates are nominated by their schools and must also display strong leadership and citizenship characteristics.
The two-time team captain owns a competitive resume and is sure to garner serious consideration for the trophy as the season progresses.
In the classroom, Fields has compiled a 3.82 GPA and is simultaneously completing a Bachelor in Business Administration and a master’s degree in accounting. The veteran Sooner is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and a Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award winner.
Fields’ community work is well-documented by Sooners Sports. In 2018, he founded a seminar called “Town Business” to provide financial literacy to high school and college athletes. Fields is also responsible for the “Black Wall Street Scholarship,” which he created alongside the university president to aid low-income students from his hometown of Tulsa.
On the football field, the fourth-year Sooner ranks second on the team with 23 total tackles. The highlight of his season to this point is the PAT return that helped the Sooners pull away from Nebraska in week three.
Pat Fields is from Tulsa, and Tulsa boys absolutely smack. pic.twitter.com/KoGP8kTjDS
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) September 18, 2021
The National Football Foundation will announce the finalists for the Trophy on October 27. The winner will be declared on Tuesday, December 7, and will receive a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship.