NFL: Who Is Laura Rutledge?

Laura Rutledge featured prominently on ESPN's Super Bowl coverage. A storyline that has received plenty of attention in the last two weeks was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers playing the Super Bowl in their home stadium for the first time in championship game history. While the distinction was historic and exciting on many levels, there was another notable individual who got to return home during this time as well.

ESPN anchor Laura Rutledge, who is probably best known for being the host of the network’s daily afternoon show NFL Live, was also fortunate enough to return to her old stomping grounds. Laura Rutledge, who, grew up as Laura McKeeman, was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, in October 1988. St. Pete, as it is often called for short, is the second largest city in the greater Tampa Bay area, and is home to Tropicana field where Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays play.

Laura Rutledge's daughter, Reese Rutledge predicted victory for the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl

Although Laura Rutledge is well liked among NFL fans, she may not be the most popular Rutledge in her household today after her infant daughter’s actions last week. Reese Rutledge, who is Laura and former MLB player Josh Rutledge’s only child together, had a feeling that the Buccaneers were going to defend their home turf in Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Last week, the little girl came sprinting out of a room with a head of steam towards a Chiefs helmet and a Bucs helmet placed on the floor next to each other. After wrapping her arms around the Chiefs helmet, Reese had a change of heart, and scooped up the Bucs helmet, stamping her pick for the big game.

Reese was the only analyst who correctly predicted the outcome of the game, as her mom, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky, former NFL defensive lineman Marcus Spears, and ESPN talent Mina Kimes all picked the Chiefs to come away with the victory.

Laura Rutledge’s journey in sports media got its start in her home state, where she attended the University of Florida and majored in broadcast journalism. Getting an initial chance in a very competitive industry was not easy, as she interned at Fox Sports Florida in order to get some experience. Rutledge eventually reported on sporting events in Florida, before working her way into a role as the dugout/clubhouse reporter with the Rays.

Her big break with ESPN came in 2014, when she joined the SEC Network covering a myriad of events within the conference. Ever since then, she has become a rising star, also being featured in prominent shows like Get Up and First Take on the network’s morning lineup.