Peter Fields, Montana State’s athletic director since 2002, will not have his contract renewed upon expiration in June, the school confirmed on Tuesday.
In a statement from President Waded Cruzado’s office via spokesman Tracy Ellig, Montana State made the announcement:
“Montana State University will not be renewing the contract of Athletics Director Peter Fields. Fields will finish out the term of his current contract which runs through June 30, 2016. During that time, he will be carrying out all his duties as AD. MSU thanks Mr. Fields for his many years of service to the university and wishes him well on his future endeavors. The university plans to begin a national search for a successor this spring.”
Fields had an annual salary of $150,660 in 2015. He was on a year-to-year contract like all Montana State administrators. Fields received a 10 percent raise of roughly $15,000 before signing his most recent contract in June of 2015.
The announcement continues a period of change at Montana State. In the spring of 2014, Fields fired Brad Huse after eight seasons as MSU’s men’s basketball coach. Fields hired Brian Fish as his replacement. MSU is 4-5 in Big Sky Conference play entering a weekend road trip to Portland State and Sacramento State. In November of 2014, Fields fired Kyle Weindel as the women’s volleyball coach. Fields hired J.J. Riley as his replacement. In MSU finished 3-21 last fall, including 1-15 in Big Sky Conference play.
Following the first losing football season at MSU since 2001, Fields fired Rob Ash after nine years at the helm. Montana State hired Jeff Choate as the 32nd football coach in school history on December 5 of last year.
Fields declined comment through an MSU spokesman on Tuesday afternoon. Ellig said Montana State would not have further comment on the situation. It is unknown if Fields will finish his contract before leaving Montana State.
With Fields at the helm, Montana State experienced a wide range of successes. Fields helped spearhead an $11 million renovation that included sprint turf in 2008, the $10 million Sonny Holland end-zone project completed before the 2011 season and the addition of lights later that year. Fields also oversaw a renovation of Brick Breeden Fieldhouse that included the addition of a $1 million track.
Earlier this decade, the Bobcat football team experienced unprecedented success. The Bobcats captured three consecutive Big Sky Conference crowns for the first time in school history. The Bobcats hosted four playoff games and advanced to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs in 2011 and 2012. The Bobcats also posted consecutive wins in Missoula over rival Montana.
In the classroom, Fields took over an athletic department and a football program experiencing struggles academically and righted the ship. MSU’s 14 athletic programs have produced 21 consecutive semesters with a grade-point average of better than 3.0. In the spring of 2012 MSU’s cumulative team grade point average topped 3.20, and in the past seven years MSU student-athletes have contributed over 21,000 hours of service in the MSU and Bozeman communities.
The Bobcats won the Big Sky Conference Presidents’ Cups in 2004-2005 and 2011-12. The award is given to the athletic department in the conference that succeeds most thoroughly in competition and in the classroom. Following MSU’s second Presidents’ Cup, Fields was named the NACDA FCS West Region Athletic Director of the Year. He also earned the 2007 General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletic Director Award from the All-America Football Foundation.
Fields served as the president of the College Athletics Business Managers in 1999. He was President of the FCS Athletic Directors Association in 2009-10. He presently belongs to the NCAA Leadership Council and is similarly involved in the Big Sky Conference.
Fields came to Montana State in the spring of 2002 after spending seven years as an administrator as the University of Missouri. He spent his final four years in Columbus as an associate AD. He previously worked at Toledo (1988-96) and Kent State (1985-1988) in business and budget management.
Fields is a 1979 graduate of the University of Maine, Presque Isle. Fields was a standout varsity wrestler who was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. He was also a wrestling coach at UMPI and earned his M.A from the U.S Sports Academy in 1987.
This story will be updated as it develops.
