All About Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Justin Fields' Parents, Ivant “Pablo” Fields and Gina Tobey

Justin Fields has thanked his mom, Gina, and dad, Ivant, for challenging him to be the best he can be

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields wouldn’t be where he is today without the support of his parents, Ivant “Pablo” Fields and Gina Tobey.

Former college football player and resource officer Ivant and sales/relationship manager Gina welcomed their son Justin on Mar. 5, 1999, in Kennesaw, Ga. Justin is also close with his stepmother Jo Ann Fields, with whom Ivant shares two children: softball star Jaiden Fields and budding college basketball star Jessica Fields.

Justin Fields took after Ivant by playing college football, playing for both Georgia and Ohio, winning two Big Ten offensive player of the year awards and leading Ohio to the 2021 National Championship Game. Following his example of playing as a linebacker for Eastern Kentucky, serving in the military and working in law enforcement, Ivant challenged Justin to be the best he could be on and off the field.

“He was definitely very hard on me in terms of how I treated other people outside of [his] house, my respect for others and made me into the man I am today,” Justin told ESPN in 2021.

As a highly touted NFL prospect, Justin was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft — where he would go on to set the single-game rushing yards record for a quarterback — before being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.

“I always challenged him when he was young. I played classical music in the crib, you know, and even before he was born because they say that that expands the brain and renews parts of the brain that you typically wouldn’t use,” Gina said in Justin Fields: From Unranked QB to the Face of the Chicago Bears.

From their careers to supporting Justin’s football dreams, here’s everything to know about NFL quarterback Justin Fields’ parents, Ivant “Pablo” Fields and Gina Tobey.

Gina has a successful career in sales

While much of Justin’s family has found success in athletics, Gina found success in sales and relationship management. Gina has worked in the two fields for over 25 years after earning her bachelor’s degree from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Despite studying vocal performance with a focus on opera, Gina went on to work in sales at DHL, Fleetcor and Telematics, per her LinkedIn profile.

Ivant and Gina knew Justin would be a star athlete when he was a kid

Justin's parents noticed his unusual athletic abilities as a toddler.

“When he was like 1, he would keep throwing a ball up the steps. The ball would bounce down the steps and he would catch it. You’re trying to watch the game or a movie and it’s getting on your nerves, ‘Hey man, cut that out.’ But you have no idea it’s hand-eye coordination at 1,” Ivant told WGN9. “He had a little nerf hoop and a basketball. He could shoot on it and dunk on it. But, I thought all little boys was like that until I coached tee ball when he was 4 or 5 years old.”

Before Justin even entered kindergarten, he had already made a baseball team, and his mom noticed that he was excelling.

“He got on his first baseball team at 3 1/2 and he was hitting it out to the fence,” Gina said in Justin Fields: From Unranked QB to the Face of the Chicago Bears.

Ivant played football in college and used his experience to help raise Justin

Although Ivant went on to have a decades-long career as a resource officer, his initial dream was to become a football player. Ivant’s grades prohibited him from being accepted into a Division I college and affected his NFL dreams so he made sure to put an emphasis on Justin’s grades while raising him.

“I had D-1 talent, but I had to go to Eastern Kentucky because I didn’t have the grades. I finished the SAT in about 5 minutes because I just put ‘C’s’ all the way down. So, I was really, really tough on him,” Ivant told WGN9. “I looked at them [his grades] every single day, three times a day. He graduated from Harrison High School with a 3.9 GPA.”

Gina helped Justin with his epilepsy diagnosis, having experienced epilepsy herself

When Justin was 15 years old, he had his first seizure while sitting in health class. After this experience, he was diagnosed with epilepsy and was concerned it might affect his football career.

It turned out that with proper treatment, it would have no effect on his career, but he would have to take daily medication. He soon learned that Gina also suffered from epilepsy and that there was the possibility of outgrowing it like she had.

“When I did have [seizures], it was just because I didn’t take my medicine,” Justin told ESPN in 2022. “There was one time I had one, I wanted to see if I grew out of it, because my mom grew out of it. So let me see if I did, too. But I don’t even play with it now.”

Justin can rest assured that Gina will always be there to check that he’s taking care of himself, especially with her epilepsy experience.

“He’s 23, but I’m still always going to say ‘Are you taking your medicine?’ ” Gina told ESPN in the same interview. “Just because that’s what mothers do when it comes to everything.”

Ivant was heavily involved in Justin’s early football career

Ivant was hugely influential in Justin’s love of football and attended nearly all of Justin’s games growing up. Ivant always believed in Justin and according to Bleacher Report, he even sent Justin’s game tapes to every Division I school in the United States.

Because of Ivant’s football experience, he was also able to appreciate Justin’s growth as a player and share this with his son. Before Justin was a starter, Ivant continually encouraged Justin to keep working despite his frustration, which all culminated with Justin having a breakout season as a junior at Harrison High School.

“All his dormant athleticism, the freakish things he did when he was little, just came back alive,” Ivant told Bleacher Report. “He was faster than everybody again. Quicker. His footwork was better. And he threw the ball better and farther and harder.”

Gina helped Justin choose Georgia

Coming out of high school as a five-star recruit, Justin was approached by many colleges and Gina went to many of those recruiting visits with him, including the college football powerhouse Alabama. However, she ultimately helped influence his decision to begin his college football career in his home state and play for the Georgia Bulldogs.

“I think that [Georgia was] the best,” Gina told Dawg Nation. “Georgia just seemed to have the overall best plan and best programs in place to help Justin succeed.”

Gina and Ivant were with Justin when he was drafted

In 2021, Justin’s NFL dreams finally came true as he was drafted to the Chicago Bears. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Justin was at home with Gina, Ivant, his stepmother Jo Ann and his sisters Jaiden and Jessica for the momentous occasion.

He was interviewed by ESPN immediately after being drafted about what it was like to celebrate the moment with his family while reflecting on the adversity they’d overcome to get there.

“It was great, you know, definitely a moment that I’ll remember forever ... [I’m] glad that I got to celebrate with my family,” Justin said. “Everything me and my family have been through, we’ve just learned from that, we’ve grown from that, so whatever’s in my path in the near future, I’ll be ready for it.”

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