Taylor High School alumnus and former Ducks football star DeMarcus Fields stopped by the Taylor Middle School gymnasium Friday, March 1 and spoke in front of seventh and eighth-grade studentathletes.
“Walking the hallways, I could just remember when I was your age, the things I was thinking of and the things I was doing,” Fields said.
“I just wanted to say that I’m proud of you all from already where you all are at. Just because you’re not where you want to be at today, doesn’t mean you can’t be there tomorrow. You can fix it in a day.”
Fields first talked about the importance of excelling in the classroom and establishing strong relationships with people.
“The same work ethic that you put into a sport should be the same work ethic you put into your grades,” Fields said. “That was probably one of my biggest things and I did not learn that until my junior year in high school. You all have some amazing athletes and I have watched from behind the scenes. I have a lot of family here and you all are my family because once you’re a Duck, you’re always a Duck and I stand by that as well.”
Fields also spoke highly of his parents for their influence on his life and how important family is for students to help them achieve their dreams.
“One thing I was always able to do was to listen to my parents,” Fields said. “Let them guide me through my life because they have already done everything that I am about to do. So you listen. You pay attention to them. They have the knowledge that you have not even heard of before. They are trying to help you and your parents are going to guide you in the right direction. They love you with all their heart and that’s why you’re here on this Earth.”
Finding goals in life and putting in hard work to accomplish them was something Fields was passionate about with the students.
“I have always worked for everything that I earned. It just wasn’t given to me, I earned it.” Fields said. “Just find out what you love and what’s your passion so you can make it a lot more easy and make it more fun for yourself. I feel like that was the biggest thing for me. I never did something that I hated or didn’t like and you don’t have to either.”
After he was a standout for Taylor, Fields played college football at Texas Tech University beginning in 2016 and during his time with the Red Raiders had 223 total tackles, four interceptions, one interception returned 95 yards for a touchdown and 49 pass deflections. Following a successful career at TTU, Fields had a stint in the National Football League and was a member of the New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders over the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
