Conversation with Joe Fields, part 2

Having made the leap from the coaching career he once envisioned to the administrative side of athletics, Joe Fields found himself on a path he never planned, but one on which he discovered his passion. That transition has put him in prime position to succeed in his current role overseeing the New Mexico State University athletics department.

“Things change and evolve, and you have to change and evolve with them,” Fields said. “When I started my journey to become an athletics director, the job looked totally different than it does now. It looked different five years ago and three years ago, and I'm sure it's going to look a little different three years from now. That’s why we've got to be able to change and adjust. It's not the job I saw Daryl Gross and John Wildhack and Scott Woodward do when I first got into it.”

The jump to administration came with a learning curve, but it also brought Fields into contact with impactful mentors.

“There have been great people who invested in me and showed me the ropes,” Fields said. “Hopefully I've held up my end of the bargain by trying to truly impact student-athletes and do good things in those roles and jobs. I kind of stumbled into administration, and I'm glad I did. It wasn't a world I was aware of until I finished playing. I had a great athletics director, Daryl Gross, at Syracuse. He took me under his wing and showed me things. He always had honest conversations with me, and it really sparked that fire.”

Fields began as a graduate assistant at Syracuse before becoming an academic coordinator for the football team. When the basketball program encountered academic challenges, he was moved into that role, working extensively in the academic support space.

He later received the opportunity to become associate athletics director for student-athlete services at Texas A&M University, overseeing all academics and student-athlete development.

“It was in the SEC and about 45 minutes from home, so it was really a dream opportunity for me,” he said. “Then they made me senior associate AD and gave me the opportunity to be a sport administrator. A couple years later, Ross Bjork promoted me again to deputy athletics director overseeing academics, NIL, the Lettermen's Association, equipment and apparel. He put a lot on my plate and really allowed me to grow and flourish.”

From there, Fields moved to Tulsa, where he was named chief operating officer and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the athletics department. That stint lasted just one year before the NMSU athletics director position opened.

Now, Fields navigates the shifting dynamics of today’s NCAA, including NIL and a transfer portal that effectively makes athletes free agents every year. Having come up through the academic side, he continues to emphasize education despite the challenges.

“I understand the value of education,” Fields said. “I'm a product of higher education. I gained access to college through football and was then able to use my degree to build a career in athletics. No matter if they're here for one year or four years, earning a degree has to be top of mind for our student-athletes. If they pivot, we'll pivot to the next group coming in — but our message can’t change.

“We've got to encourage our student-athletes to make long-term decisions when it comes to earning degrees, because that’s what truly maximizes their earning potential over a lifetime. That will always be important to me because of my background and what I've benefited from. But it is really hard.”

Fields empathizes with the academic advisors working with student-athletes.

“It’s about two to three hundred kids coming in and leaving out,” Fields said. “That’s two to three hundred different stories and academic paths you're trying to piece together. Their jobs have become really, really difficult.”

When advising student-athletes considering a transfer, Fields says his approach has evolved depending on the institution.

“The conversation I had at Texas A&M was a little different than the one I had at Tulsa,” he said. “It’s different than the conversation I have now at New Mexico State. I always ask them what’s important to you. That’s the first question they have to answer for themselves. I always encourage them to make a long-term decision.

“I try to plant seeds and stimulate thought. Ultimately, they’re going to make the best decision for themselves. I just try to have honest conversations, get them to think critically about why they’re making the decision, and support them regardless. I always want them to stay here, but I never guilt them into it. I just make sure they understand all the great things we have to offer.”

On the flip side, Fields must also support coaches navigating the realities of the transfer portal.

“You’ve got to help them realize this is normal now,” Fields said. “It’s not personal between the kid, the agent or the parents. This is just the environment we’re living in until something changes with rules and regulations.

“It’s not a negative reflection on the coach if a kid leaves. It’s part of the game. We’re recruiting kids who are leaving other institutions, too. At our level, we’re in a good spot. We can recruit high school kids, FCS kids and the right Power Four bounce-back.”

As athletics director, Fields knows he must help coaches with resources and strategy in order to compete.

“The coaches are dealing with it more than ever,” Fields said. “Our head coaches are only head coaches on game day. The rest of the week they’re fundraisers, general managers, mental health specialists and agents. They wear a lot of hats, and that’s tough.”

To help address the financial side, NMSU recently introduced the Lou and Mary Henson Excellence Fund. With universities now permitted to provide direct payments to athletes, consolidating resources in-house rather than relying solely on off-campus collectives has become necessary.

“Here’s why the Henson Fund is really unique for us,” Fields said. “One hundred percent of it goes to player benefits. Over the last five to six years, there have been many additional benefits introduced — cost of attendance, additional scholarships — and we largely haven’t participated in those at New Mexico State. The Henson Fund allows us to fill that bucket.

“Everything our donors give goes into one place. From there, I can determine what each program needs. Baseball might need additional scholarships, football might need revenue sharing, track and field might need better nutrition, softball might need improved travel or athletic training. Now we have the resources to allocate appropriately.”

To Fields, fundraising is all relative.

“At Texas A&M, we needed more money,” he said. “At Tulsa, we needed more money. And at New Mexico State, we need more money. It’s all about scale relative to your level and your goals.”

Fields understands that expectations for his coaches must align with the level of institutional support available.

Beyond that, there are larger NCAA issues largely outside his control.

“We’ve got to face what’s happening with college football,” he said. “We have to determine whether the current structure still makes sense for the entire enterprise. The conversation around a volleyball or track and field student-athlete is very different from that of a football student-athlete.”

That complexity is what keeps the job engaging for Fields.

“I don’t see NIL and revenue sharing slowing down,” Fields said. “What you hope for is more guardrails on player movement, more emphasis on education and a better structure for football. Eventually, we’ll get to a point where fans and everyone involved can wrap their arms around it again.”

This is the second of a two-part series on NMSU athletics director Joe Fields and the state of college athletics.