Laura Rutledge is one of the most recognizable faces in American sports broadcasting, particularly among NFL and college football viewers. While fans regularly see her discussing teams, players and major games on ESPN, there is another sports figure who has been part of her life for more than a decade.
Laura Rutledge’s husband is Josh Rutledge, a former Major League Baseball player who later moved into business and real estate after retiring from professional sports.
Their relationship has an almost perfect sports-world beginning. Laura and Josh met at a University of Alabama football tailgate in 2011. Two years later, they were married, and since then they have built a family while navigating two demanding careers.
Josh’s story is interesting in its own right. He was an accomplished baseball player from Alabama, played college baseball for the Crimson Tide, reached Major League Baseball and later reinvented himself professionally after leaving the game.
Today, Laura and Josh are parents to two children, Reese and Jack, and their marriage has grown alongside Laura’s rise as one of ESPN’s most prominent sports personalities.
Who Is Laura Rutledge’s Husband?
Laura Rutledge’s husband is Josh Rutledge, a former professional baseball player and businessman.
Josh played in Major League Baseball as an infielder after being selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 2010 MLB Draft.
During his professional career, he played for teams including the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox. Baseball took him around the country before he eventually retired from professional competition in 2018.
After baseball, Josh started building a different career. He spent time working in financial services before becoming involved in real estate and business ownership.
His transition meant that both he and Laura went through major professional changes during their marriage.
While Josh moved away from professional baseball, Laura’s broadcasting career continued moving upward.
Josh Rutledge Grew Up in Alabama
Josh Rutledge is originally from Cullman, Alabama.
Sports were part of his life long before he met Laura.
He became a standout baseball player during high school and helped his team win a state championship during his senior year.
His individual performances also earned attention, and he was named Alabama’s Class 5A Player of the Year.
That success gave him the opportunity to continue playing at the University of Alabama.
Josh entered Alabama in 2007 and quickly established himself as a serious baseball prospect.
College baseball became the bridge between his success as a high school athlete and his eventual professional career.
After three years at Alabama, he made the decision to leave school temporarily and pursue professional baseball.
It was a gamble, but one that ultimately resulted in him reaching the major leagues.
Josh Was Drafted by the Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies selected Josh Rutledge in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Being drafted marked the beginning of a new stage in his life.
Professional baseball was different from college in several important ways.
Players had to deal with constant travel, new teammates and uncertainty about where they might be playing at any given point in the season.
Josh understood early that professional sports involved much more than simply stepping onto the field.
Minor league players can move frequently between teams and cities while trying to prove that they deserve a place in the major leagues.
Josh successfully made that climb.
He reached Major League Baseball in 2012, only two years after being drafted.
Josh Rutledge Played in Major League Baseball
Josh spent several years playing professional baseball at the highest level.
He made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies and played primarily as an infielder.
His career later took him to the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox.
Playing in the majors gave Josh experience with several organizations and placed him alongside some of the best baseball players in the world.
His career also meant that he understood many of the pressures Laura would later encounter in sports broadcasting.
Both jobs required extensive travel, preparation and long periods away from home.
That shared understanding became one of the strengths of their marriage.
Laura has previously explained that having separate careers in sports helped them understand each other’s professional demands.
Josh knew what it was like to spend weeks traveling, prepare under pressure and deal with a constantly changing schedule.
Laura understood many of those same challenges from the broadcasting side.
How Did Laura Rutledge Meet Her Husband?
Laura and Josh met in 2011 at a University of Alabama football game.
Their first encounter happened at a tailgate.
Laura later recalled that she essentially walked up to a random tailgate and happened to meet Josh there.
It was a simple meeting, but it eventually changed both of their lives.
At the time, Josh was beginning his professional baseball journey, while Laura was still building the career that would later take her into national sports broadcasting.
The couple remained together as both careers developed.
Their connection to Alabama also gave them a shared sports background from the beginning.
Years later, they even returned to the same tailgate where they first crossed paths.
Laura shared the memory publicly and noted that they found the same tent where their relationship had started.
Laura and Josh Rutledge Married in 2013
Laura and Josh married on December 7, 2013.
Their wedding came around two years after they first met.
At that point, Josh was already building his baseball career while Laura’s broadcasting opportunities were expanding.
The marriage therefore developed in an environment where both people had demanding professional schedules.
More than a decade later, Laura has continued to speak warmly about their relationship.
She has described Josh as one of her biggest supporters, especially as her career moved deeper into college football, baseball and NFL coverage.
That support appears to go both ways.
Laura was also alongside Josh as he transitioned out of baseball and began exploring a completely different professional path.
Instead of one career dominating their marriage, they have spent much of their time supporting two separate ambitions.
Laura Rutledge’s Career Grew After Their Marriage
Laura’s professional journey has changed considerably since she married Josh.
Before becoming an established ESPN personality, she won the Miss Florida title in 2012.
Her interests, however, increasingly moved toward sports broadcasting.
She eventually became an important part of ESPN’s college sports coverage and later developed a major role in NFL programming.
Laura has worked across college football, baseball and other sports.
She became especially recognizable as the host of NFL Live.
That role placed her alongside analysts and former NFL players while covering some of the biggest stories in professional football.
Her ability to move comfortably between interviews, live reporting and studio discussions helped make her one of ESPN’s familiar faces.
Throughout that growth, Josh remained part of the support system behind her career.
Josh Eventually Returned to the University of Alabama
Josh left college early to pursue baseball, but he did not abandon his education permanently.
Years later, he returned to complete his degree.
In 2019, Josh graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree.
The moment carried extra meaning because Laura was there with him.
Josh publicly thanked his family, friends and wife for supporting him through the process.
Going back to school after a professional sports career required a different type of commitment.
By then, he had already experienced Major League Baseball, marriage and the transition toward life after playing professionally.
Completing his education closed a chapter that had been interrupted when baseball offered him an opportunity years earlier.
Laura and Josh Rutledge Have Two Children
Laura and Josh are parents to two children.
Their daughter, Reese, was born in October 2019.
The arrival of Reese added another dimension to a household that was already balancing sports broadcasting and Josh’s evolving post-baseball career.
Their second child, a son named Jack, was born in May 2023.
The couple had gone through a difficult period before Jack’s birth, as Laura publicly shared that she experienced a miscarriage in 2021.
That experience made welcoming another child particularly meaningful for the family.
Laura also spoke about Reese’s excitement over becoming a big sister.
By that point, the Rutledges had become a family of four.
Laura has occasionally shared glimpses of family life, though the couple generally avoids making their children the central focus of their public profiles.
Their Son Jack Faced a Health Scare
The Rutledge family went through another difficult period when Jack experienced health complications in late 2023.
Laura shared that he required medical care over the holiday season.
She did not publicly reveal every detail surrounding his condition, keeping much of the situation private.
However, she said that he faced a lengthy recovery while also expressing confidence that he was expected to heal fully.
For a family accustomed to public careers, the episode showed that Laura and Josh still maintain clear boundaries when it comes to deeply personal matters.
They occasionally update followers about major family moments, but they do not share every detail.
What Does Josh Rutledge Do Now?
Josh’s professional identity changed considerably after his baseball career ended.
After leaving professional baseball, he worked as a financial advisor for several years.
That role represented a major change from the routines of professional athletics.
He later moved into real estate.
Josh became a realtor in Connecticut and also obtained licensing in Massachusetts.
Real estate appears to fit an interest he already had in homes, property and land.
The work also gave him an opportunity to establish a long-term career outside professional sports.
For athletes, finding a new direction after retirement can sometimes be difficult because competition has shaped much of their lives since childhood.
Josh has managed that transition by moving through several different professional fields.
Josh Rutledge Is Also a Business Owner
Real estate is not Josh’s only post-baseball venture.
He also became a co-owner of West Alabama Ford, a Ford dealership in Sulligent, Alabama.
That investment brought him professionally back to the state where he grew up and played college baseball.
His involvement in the dealership highlighted another stage in his transition from athlete to businessman.
Instead of depending entirely on his former baseball identity, Josh built interests in several industries.
His post-playing career now combines business ownership and property work.
That evolution has happened while Laura has continued building her broadcasting career.
Sports Help Laura and Josh Understand Each Other
One of the most interesting aspects of Laura and Josh’s marriage is their shared understanding of professional sports.
They experienced that world from different angles.
Josh lived it as an athlete.
Laura experiences it as a broadcaster.
Both careers involve travel, unusual hours and pressure.
A professional player might suddenly have to travel across the country for a series.
A national broadcaster can face similar demands while covering games, attending production meetings and preparing for live television.
Because both understand that lifestyle, there is less need to explain why the schedule can become chaotic.
Laura has spoken positively about how their separate careers allowed them to support one another.
That shared perspective has remained relevant even after Josh left baseball.
Josh Enjoys Hunting and Fishing
Away from business and family responsibilities, Josh has a strong interest in outdoor activities.
He enjoys hunting and fishing and has shared glimpses of those hobbies over the years.
Fishing appears to be one of his particular interests.
His outdoor lifestyle fits naturally with his Alabama background and gives him something far removed from baseball, television studios and business meetings.
Laura and Josh’s public life is heavily connected to sports, but their interests outside work have helped create a more ordinary family routine.
Laura Rutledge and Josh Rutledge Today
Laura Rutledge and Josh Rutledge have now been married for more than a decade.
Their relationship began almost accidentally at a college football tailgate and developed while both were pursuing demanding careers.
Josh reached Major League Baseball.
Laura became one of ESPN’s most recognizable sports hosts.
When Josh’s playing days ended, their relationship entered another stage as he moved toward finance, real estate and business ownership.
Their family also grew with the arrival of Reese and Jack.
Through those changes, the couple have continued to support each other’s careers without turning their marriage into a constant public spectacle.
For people searching for Laura Rutledge’s husband, Josh Rutledge is much more than the spouse of an ESPN presenter.
He is a former MLB infielder, University of Alabama graduate, realtor, businessman and father of two who built his own career before and after professional baseball.