Photos from Army football practice on Friday, Aug. 5, 2011.
Head coach Rich Ellerson named Ian Shields Army's offensive coordinator in January 2009. In addition to his coordinator duties, Shields was named associate head coach in 2013.
After four seasons of working directly with Army's quarterbacks, Shields will focus solely on his coordinator duties beginning in 2013.
In his first three seasons, Shields has mentored a unit that has become one of the most prolific rushing attacks not only in the nation, but in West Point history. Army's triple-option offense produced 346.5 yards per game in 2011, tops in the country. It was the first time Army led the nation in rushing offense since 1999, and the team's 4,158 yards were an Academy record. The Black Knights have boasted a 1,000-yard rusher in two of Shields' three seasons.
Shields has also been responsible for the development of quarterback Trent Steelman. In his three seasons under center, Steelman became the first Army player to rush for 2,000 yards and pass for 2,000 yards in their career, and is on the verge of breaking Army's all-time records for both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.
In his first season at West Point, Shields was responsible for coordinating the nation's 16th-best rushing attack and mentored Steelman to the most productive campaign by a rookie quarterback in West Point history. Steelman was the first Army freshman to start 12 games in a season and the first plebe signal caller to register two 100-yard rushing games.
In its second season under Shields' guidance, the Army offense boasted the eighth-best rushing offense in the nation and its 3,271 rushing yards were the 10th most in Academy history. Army scored 34 rushing touchdowns, tied for the seventh most in Army football annals, while its 26.6 points per game represented the team's highest scoring average since 1996. Under Shield's watchful eye, Steelman continued his progression under center, posting the eighth highest single season total offense mark in Academy history. He was responsible for 18 touchdowns (11 rushing/7 passing), the fifth-best total in a season at West Point.
Shields came to West Point with Ellerson after completing his second stint as the Cal Poly offensive coordinator in 2008. Under Shields' direction that season, the Mustangs established school records for first downs (262), first downs rushing (162), points scored (488) and touchdowns (67). Shields' offense scored at least 49 points in six of 11 contests, topping the 50-point barrier three times, including a season-high 69 points in a home defeat of Southern Utah. Cal Poly scored in 41 of its 44 quarters of action in 2008. The Mustangs finished the season ranked first nationally in both total offense (487.45) and scoring offense (44.36), second in pass efficiency (167.72) and third in rushing offense (306.45).
Shields' 2008 offense was led by quarterback Jonathan Daily who led the nation in passing efficiencey (171.6) in 2008. He was a first-team All-Great West Conference pick after throwing for 23 touchdowns while throwing only five interceptions. He also rushed for 11 scores. Shields also helped mold wide receiver Ramses Barden. Barden caught 67 passes for 1,257 yards and 18 touchdowns on his way to becoming the school's career leader in all three categories (206 receptions, 4,203 yards and 50 touchdown catches). Barden recorded at least one touchdown reception in his final 20 contests, surpassing Jerry Rice's NCAA FCS mark and Larry Fitzgerald's all-time NCAA record. He was selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2009 National Football League Draft.
Shields, who also served as Cal Poly's co-offensive coordinator in 2004 and 2005, departed San Luis Obispo in 2006 when he began a two-year stint as head coach at Eastern Oregon University (2006-07), the first two years the program competed in the scholarship Frontier League of NAIA. Shields led the Mountaineers to a 6-5 finish in 2006, winning their last three games. Prior to that year, the Frontier coaches had picked EOU to finish in last place.
As co-offensive coordinator at Cal Poly during his previous two seasons with the Mustangs, Shields was instrumental in developing a dynamic spread-option offensive attack and guiding Cal Poly to its first NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth and victory in 2005. That year, the Mustang offense averaged 27.2 points and 352.8 yards per game as Cal Poly posted a 9-4 record and reached the quarterfinal round of the national playoffs.
Cal Poly's offense generated 30.2 points and 387.2 yards a contest in 2004, racing to a 9-2 record and the first of two Great West Football Conference championships.
A 1994 graduate of Oregon State University and former quarterback for the Beavers, Shields served a one-year term as offensive coordinator at Bucknell University in 2003. The Bison recorded the biggest single-season turnaround in Patriot League history that season, leading the league in rushing, passing efficiency, turnover margin, fewest penalties against and fewest sacks against.
A native Oregonian, Shields began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Oregon State. He worked with the Beavers' linebackers, tight ends, quarterbacks and running backs, while assisting with OSU's special teams during that three-season (1994-96) stay. He moved on to Eastern Oregon for the first time in 1997, assuming offensive coordinator duties for three years (1997-99). During that time he helped to develop the Mountaineers' all-time leading passer, rusher and receiver. Eastern Oregon's offense established 35 school records during that period.
Shields moved on to Saint Mary's in 2000, heading the Gaels' vaunted spread-option attack for three seasons (2000-02). St. Mary's finished in the top five nationally in rushing offense each of those seasons. In his first season at St, Mary's, Shields helped the Gaels shatter single season school records in rushing yards (3404), touchdowns (50) and first downs (233). St. Mary's also established single game school standards in scoring (71 points) and rushing yards (535).
Shields, who lettered three times in football and twice in baseball at Oregon State, was elected team captain of the gridiron squad during his final campaign. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in speech communication and earned a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies from OSU in 1997.
He and his wife, Norma, a former collegiate volleyball standout at Eastern Oregon, have two sons: Beau and Jonah. The family resides at West Point.
