Fields grew up in Dallas, where he graduated from South Oak Cliff High School in 1992. In high school, he set a national youth record in the long jump. As of 2021, he still has the 3rd longest long jump in U.S. high school history (26-8½ feet). He was rated by Track and Field News to be the top high school long jumper in the country during his junior and senior years, and he was named a high school All American both years. Fields also had the longest triple jump in Texas during his senior year.
