As part of a secondary that’s been through the wringer on the injury front, senior safety Pat Fields has been the stabilizing force for a group that has missed key players at corner and safety for the past several weeks. To help overcome the losses of his secondary teammates, Fields leads the team in the snap count, playing 87% of the possible 539 defensive snaps in 2021.
Fields has provided the necessary leadership and a steady hand to a defensive unit that is missing Woodi Washington, Delarrin Turner-Yell, and D.J. Graham.
For his efforts on the field and those in the classroom, Fields has been named a finalist for the Campbell Trophy. The trophy, which was also won by former Sooners center Ty Darlington in 2015, goes to the player that both exemplifies excellence in the classroom, on the field, and makes an impact in the community.
In Norman, and in his hometown of Tulsa, Fields has been active in the community creating programs like “Town Business,” a financial literacy seminar that provides instruction on budgeting, money management, credit, and personal branding to high school football student-athletes.
A fourth-year Senior, Fields is pursuing both a Bachelor’s in Business Administration degree in accounting as well as a master’s degree in accounting. Per the University of Oklahoma Fields has maintained a 3.82 GPA in his studies.
Pat Fields was a 2020 second-team Academic All-American selection and an All-Big 12 Academic first-team selection in 2019 and 2020. He’s a two-time captain of the team and is currently second in tackles for the Oklahoma Sooners defense.
As a finalist, Fields has won a post-graduate scholarship of $18,000 and will attend the Campbell Trophy awards ceremony at the ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas Nevada on Dec. 7 for the 63rd annual selection of the Campbell Trophy award winner. If selected, Fields’ post-graduate scholarship would increase to $25,000.
Fields founded “Town Business,” a financial literacy seminar that teaches high school football student-athletes about budgeting, money management, credit and personal branding. Along with other collegiate student-athletes and former NFL players, he conducted the first seminar in May in his hometown of Tulsa. He also founded the Black Wall Street Scholarship, collaborating with the president of the OU National Black Alumni Association to establish an endowment with the purpose of providing scholarships for underrepresented and lower income students from Tulsa, and coordinated a back-to-school event and football camp in July for economically vulnerable elementary school students in his hometown. – OU Athletics Department
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.