GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Dr. Jim Fields is stepping down as cross country coach at Tusculum College due to health reasons announced Frankie DeBusk, TC Director of Athletics.

Fields served as head coach of the Tusculum cross country program for six seasons overall, from 2000-2004 and returning coach the Pioneers this past year (2009).

During his coaching tenure with the Pioneers, his runners garnered All-South Atlantic Conference honors 12 times, including two SAC Runners of the Year and two SAC Freshman Runners of the Year. The Tusculum women's program recorded three third place finishes in the conference (2001, 2002, 2003), while the men's squad posted a sixth place showing at the 2003 SAC Championship.

"I wish to thank Coach Fields for coming back to the program this past season and regrettably I accept his resignation due to the circumstances," said DeBusk. "Coach Fields has been a true ambassador of Tusculum College over the years and he will be truly missed. I personally want to thank him for all his hard work and dedication to the cross country program, our student-athletes and the athletic department."

Fields has mentored three of the best cross country runners in the history of program in All-Region harriers Amanda Musick and Sue Lewis and 2009 SAC Runner of the Year Simon Holzapfel.

This past season, Holzapfel posted the greatest season in school history, winning individual titles in his first five races, including the 2009 South Atlantic Conference Championship with a school record time of 25:53.96 (8,000 meters). Holzapfel would later finish ninth at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional to garner All-Region First Team accolades.

In 2001, Musick and Lewis became the first Tusculum student-athletes to compete at a NCAA Division II national championship event.

Musick advanced to the NCAA National Championship three times in her career (2001, 2003, 2004), while also earning All-Region distinction an amazing four times. In 2003, she was the SAC Runner of the Year as she won a remarkable five events that season. She still holds the school women's record with 10 individual titles.

During Fields' tenure as cross country coach, the Pioneers captured eight team championships and 19 individual titles.

He also mentored two-time All-SAC runner Ross Lewis (2002, 2003). Lewis posted some of the best 8K times in school history, including his personnel best 27:08 at the 2003 SAC Championship. Lewis recorded three individual title wins, while guiding the team to a pair of meet championships.

From 1996-98, he served as Director of Athletics at Tusculum, where he ushered in an era of growth for the Pioneer athletics program. Under his watch, Tusculum achieved NCAA Division II membership, opened the new Pioneer Arena, while completing TC's initial steps for admission to the South Atlantic Conference.

"It is with great regret that I resign as cross country coach," said Fields. "Teaching and coaching at Tusculum has been the highlight of my professional career. I'm very grateful to Coach DeBusk for having the confidence in hiring me back and giving me the great opportunity to coach at Tusculum once again. I'm very proud of all the student-athletes who have had the privilege to coach over the years and wish them and the program success in the future."

He also served as the College's Faculty Athletics Representative during the 1995-96 year before assuming the athletic director's post.

Following high school, the Spring Grove, Va. native served three years in the U.S. Navy, specializing in communications. After the Navy, he attended Virginia Tech where he earns his Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Education in 1972. He later earned his Master's from Virginia State in 1977 and an Ed.D from East Tennessee State University in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in 1993.

Coach Fields is married to the former Gayle Gilliam of Greeneville and they have two grown children, Kenneth and Melody. They are also the proud grandparents of two grandsons, Kenton (3) and Kade, who was born in November 2008.

DeBusk indicated that a search for a new cross country coach will begin immediately.

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