Parent & Player Testimonials
Parents:
My son, Peyton Burke played football for Coach Fields at Tates Creek High School. Coach Fields is a very excited, committed, and motivated football coach. He loves coaching and cares about his players. Peyton felt comfortable talking to him which I think is very important. He was available to the players beyond scheduled practice times for questions they may have or when extra teaching or coaching was needed.
Coach Fields is extremely passionate about coaching football. His enthusiasm and dedication to your child would be a tremendous benefit to his football career.
Sincerely,
Debbie Burke
I know Coach Fields as the Head Football coach for the Freshman Football team, and as his Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach at Tates Creek.
I first heard Coach Fields' name in the summer months leading up to my sons freshman year. He was described to me as a "young coach that made a name for himself as a talented high school quarterback from Woodford County." Since my son played quarterback, I was excited that he would be coached by someone with experience playing the position. Unfortunately, Graham was injured and had to have minor surgery prior to the start of his freshman year. Graham was discouraged and upset because he couldn't practice with the team leading up to the season. However, Graham received a very encouraging phone call from his freshman coach (Coach Fields) giving him the encouragement that he needed to get through the hospital stay and get back out on the field. That phone call was just the first of many interactions that my son (and I) experienced during the 3 years he coached Graham. He was an incredibly positive influence in my sons life and I am very thankful to have had someone of his character there at Tates Creek during those impressionable years.
While Coach Fields character and positive influence on Graham were above and beyond what I could have asked for in a Coach, his knowledge of football was even better. I grew up around football, and played it into my college years, so I take a great pride in my knowledge of the game. By the end of Graham's sophomore year, I couldn't even understand what he was saying when he talked about offense. His knowledge and understanding of the spread offense blew my mind, and his ability to break down a defense was incredible. I couldn't watch a game without an in depth play by play analysis from him. It was Coach Fields' commitment to teaching Graham the game above just developing his skill set that most impressed me. Yet, he still managed to develop his skill set. I'm sure Coach Fields can pass along Graham's accomplishments on the field. He broke school records, made Friday Night Highlight reels, and won a district championship. Most importantly, he had fun doing it.
Rick Gordon
There are those coaches who come in an athlete's life who cause his love of the football to grow to a new level. Coach Fields was that for many players at Tates Creek. Time after time I heard students and even my own son confirm what I suspected..."Coach Fields is a good teacher." "Coach Fields doesn't get mad like some of the other coaches." "Coach Fields is my favorite." Not only will he be a qualified teacher of the game, but he will be a role model and one of those coaches who makes a permanent, positive impact on his players.
Sincerely,
Traci Ransdell
Players:
Coach Fields has an exceptional level of dedication that will make him an outstanding head coach. As my offensive coordinator and QB coach, he invited me and another quarterback to his house once or twice a week, using his personal time, to show us film and teach us how to run the offense and how to read defenses. He truly cared about making us the best players we could be to ensure that our team was successful.
After my sophomore season, our head coach resigned. During the time that our school was searching for a new head coach, Coach Fields took control of the team and really changed things for the better. Our team had struggled with making players show up to lifting and giving effort, but with Coach Fields in charge, he had a lot of players coming to workouts every day and working hard. It was the most disciplined our team had been since I was there and that was because Coach Fields made his expectations clear to us and he was not messing around. We took him seriously and we became a better football team in the time that he was in charge. He was a great leader and many of us were disappointed when he was not given that head coaching job.
The best trait of all of Coach Fields is that he is a great person. He is one of those people that I know would do anything for his players and treats them like they are his own kid. I know that if I ever needed anything I could always call Coach Fields and he would be there for me and do whatever he could for me. He is an exceptional coach with many great attributes.
Peyton Burke, Tates Creek Football 2012-15
I first met coach Fields when I was coming out for the high school freshmen team where he coached me till my junior year. I wasn’t the best football player on the team and doubted myself way too much but Coach Fields was always there to get my head back on track. He’s a coach you can talk about anything to, on and off the field. He was a big contributor to the type of football player I developed into throughout high school. He made sure everyone’s academics were on track. In a way, he kind of saved me. After my freshman year, I had doubts of not coming back to play football again but he kept me on the right track. Who knows what my life would have been like without playing football?
He knows the game of football better than most. He would put players in positions to make them better as well as the team. He wasn’t all about winning which I liked. He wanted the best for all his players. He believed that the players should have fun while out on the field.
Coach Fields is a humble man with great character. I guarantee that he can and will turn anyone’s life around, if given the opportunity. I am forever thankful for this man, without him I might have really screwed my life up.
Austin Rogers
I attended George Rogers Clark High school and was in the graduating class of 2015. At George Rogers Clark I was a member of the varsity football team for four years, starting at the quarterback position for three of those years. I first met Coach Fields in the summer leading into my senior season.
The GRC team had won just 3 games in the previous two years and a new coaching staff was being ushered in by head coach Mike Riddle. Coach Fields was to be my quarterback coach as well as the offensive coordinator. Prior to his arrival I had never had a true mentor at the position, and was severely lacking in the fundamental and knowledge aspects of the game. Coach Fields was a standout high school quarterback at Woodford County, a few scouts considered him to have the best arm in the state. I heard stories of the true leadership and grit that he exhibited at Woodford from Georgetown’s current offensive-line coach and his former teammate, Matt Byrd. However, at the time I was beginning to learn first hand just how impactful he is as a person and a mentor.
The very first practice together he made me run and do extra work for not being the first person up the hill to practice- that’s not how leaders operate he told me. I learned fast that he did not accept anything less than my full attention and best effort. I knew very little about defensive schemes at the time, not to my own fault, but Coach Fields soon had me to the point at which I could identify and react based on the coverage looks I was receiving. This was not an easy feat, it was accomplished through several visits to his house where he invited me in to watch film and learn. These meetings were incredibly beneficial, and I was extremely grateful to finally be receiving true coaching.
Throughout our one season together, I saw constant improvement in my footwork and decision making- and most importantly in my leadership skills. Coach Fields was always pushing me on the practice field and in the film room, all while maintaining a great relationship that transcended sports. The hard work paid off in the form of five victories, a second place finish in the district, and a home playoff game for the first time in 5 years.
My recruiting began to pick up, and Coach Fields was right there guiding and helping me the whole way. He sat with me for hours after school organizing and perfecting my highlight tape on Hudl. He also helped me form a list of who I was interested in and how to send the film to their coaches. The first person I asked an interested coach to talk to was Coach Fields. He played a huge role in helping me to receive a division one offer from EKU- something that I never even thought possible. I firmly believe that I would not be in the position I am today as a scholarship student-athlete without the help of Coach Fields. If not for his constant help with development, and an always open line of communication (that I took full advantage of), then I would not be the player or person I am today.
Even after Coach Fields has moved on from GRC, he still stays in contact with me about my school and on-field performance. He truly is a person who cares about the kid more than the player. My teammates and I talk about him as our favorite coach even to this day for his laid back style and incredible knowledge concerning the game of football. The guy flat out knows his stuff, he is a quarterback and offensive guru. His success as a coach speaks for itself. Coach Fields only spent one season as my coach, so I cannot begin to imagine how much more beneficial his presence could have been for four years; any player who has the opportunity to receive that experience will be extremely blessed.
Best,
Luke Sharrock
