Shields began his coaching career in the 1969–1970 season with the UBC women's basketball team while completing his master's degree.
[1][3] Shields and UVic reached the CIAU finals in nine of his last eleven years as head coach.
[1] Shields coached the junior national team through the 1980s during major events, including two world championships.
[2] From 1990 to 1994, Shields served as the head coach of the Canadian national men's team,[2][3][5][6] where in 1994 he led Canada to a 7th-place finish in the FIBA World Championship.
[2] Shields served as an assistant coach for the Australian senior men's team during the 2004 Summer Olympics.
[3] Shields also developed the High Performance Training Centres for rowing, soccer and middle-distance running at the University of Victoria.
[4] Shields' family moved to Prince Rupert, British Columbia for his grade 11 year.
[1] He is married to Kathy Shields, the legendary coach of the women's UVic basketball program.
[12] Together, Ken and Kathy Shields have won a combined 15 national championships with their respective UVic teams.