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Josh Booty
Josh Booty
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Joshua Gibson Booty (born April 29, 1975) is an American former professional baseball and football player. Booty played briefly in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman, and also in the National Football League (NFL) as a quarterback. He played college football for the LSU Tigers.

Key Information

High school (1990–1994)

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Booty went to Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. Josh's father Johnny was an All-American high school football player as well at Shreveport's Woodlawn High School (which produced NFL quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Joe Ferguson in the 1960s), and was the athletic director at Evangel Christian. He was also one of the founders of the Evangel school that turned into a football factory. Booty was named to the All-Time National High School All-American team by Dick Butkus. Joe Namath, and John Elway were the other two quarterbacks mentioned on the All-Time team.

As quarterback for the football team, he threw for 11,700 yards and 126 touchdowns, becoming the first high school player in history to throw for more than 10,000 yards[citation needed] (despite missing the last four games of his senior year because of a broken hand). Booty was named the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year and was named the National High School Player of the Year by at least six associations, including Parade and the Football News.

Evangel won the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Class 1A state championship in 1993, the first of 11 the Eagles would win between 1993 and 2006.

Booty's main competition for the 1993 awards was Peyton Manning, who was then a senior at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans.

As a shortstop for the baseball team, he was a four-time All-State choice at shortstop. As a senior, he batted .429 with 20 intentional walks, 25 stolen bases, and 12 home runs in 70 at bats. He was the starting shortstop for the U.S. Junior Olympic National Team that won the silver medal. He was a USA Today All-American shortstop. Booty won a silver medal in the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival. He was the 5th pick overall in the 1994 Major League Baseball draft by the Florida Marlins.

Highly recruited by major college football programs from across the country, Booty decided to sign with the Marlins for a then-record $1.6 million signing bonus.

Baseball career (1994–1998)

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Booty was the fifth pick in the first round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft (1994). He spent five years in the Marlins organization, hitting a career .269 in the majors. The team reportedly paid him $1.6 million, then a signing bonus record, if he abstained from football in the duration of his contract, but he pursued a career in pro football anyway. He hit 20-plus home runs in single and double A minor league stops and was voted the Minor League Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 for the Portland Sea Dogs. He hit .198 in his minor league career.

In 2013, Booty spent spring training in Arizona with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a knuckleball pitcher after winning MLB Network's reality show The Next Knuckler.

College football career (1999–2000)

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In 1999, Booty went to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play football for LSU's football team. He signed with LSU in February 1994 to play football for then-coach Curley Hallman, but instead signed a baseball contract.

During two years there, he completed 49.3% of his passes for 3,951 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Freshman season

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Booty beat out two future NFL draft picks, Craig Nall and Rohan Davey, for the starting job. The Tigers had little success, leading to the firing of head coach Gerry DiNardo during the season.

Sophomore season

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During his sophomore season (2000) under head coach Nick Saban, Booty started the first four games of the season.

In LSU's 58–0 victory over Western Carolina, he completed 80% of his passes for 291 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. In a 28–13 win over Houston, he completed 44% of his passes for 175 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. In a 34–17 loss to No. 24 Auburn, he completed 44.8% of his passes for 214 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. In a 13–10 loss to UAB, he completed 39.5% of his passes for 156 yards and an interception along the left sideline on what was the Tigers' final offensive play of the game, giving the ball to the Blazers in field goal range. UAB won on a 32-yard field goal by Rhett Gallego with no time left.

Booty sat out the next game against No. 11 Tennessee because of a rib injury. Rohan Davey quarterbacked a 38–31 overtime victory in that game in Tiger Stadium. Davey only completed 33.3% of his passes against Florida with no touchdowns and one interception, so Booty took over with 10:32 left in the third quarter while LSU was behind, 24–3. Booty completed 62.5% of his passes for 184 yards with one touchdown in the eventual 41–9 loss.

Booty started at quarterback for LSU for the rest of the season:

  • 34–0 victory over Kentucky (completing 45.5% of his passes for 225 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions)
  • 45–38 OT victory over #13 Mississippi State (completing 63.2% of his passes for 246 yards with two touchdowns and one interception)
  • 30–28 victory over Alabama (completing 58.1% of his passes for 275 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions) This win was called the "It's About Time" game because LSU at home beat Alabama for the first time in 31 years.[1]
  • 20–9 victory over Ole Miss (completing 53.3% of his passes for 290 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions)
  • 14-3 loss to Arkansas (completing 22.2% of his passes for 65 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions) in pouring rain and windy conditions

During Booty's nine games as a starter, LSU went 6–3 as he threw 17 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He finished his sophomore season with 2,121 passing yards, which at the time was the third-best performance by a sophomore in school history behind Jeff Wickersham in 1983 (2,542 yards) and Tommy Hodson in 1987 (2,125 yards).[citation needed]

At the end of the 2000 season, LSU won the Peach Bowl, 28–14, over No. 15 Georgia Tech. Booty played the first half and completed 42.1% of his passes with no touchdowns or interceptions. Trailing 14–3 at halftime, Saban yanked Booty and inserted Davey, who helped the Tigers outscore the Yellow Jackets 25–0 in the second half.

Professional football career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Wonderlic
6 ft 2+12 in
(1.89 m)
221 lb
(100 kg)
32 in
(0.81 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
4.90 s 1.77 s 2.84 s 4.48 s 7.54 s 29.5 in
(0.75 m)
8 ft 9 in
(2.67 m)
27[2]
All values from NFL Combine[3][4]

Booty was taken as the 177th pick (6th round) of the 2001 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks.[5]

Booty signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2001, but he was waived in 2003.[6]

Personal life

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One of Booty's younger brothers, Abram, was a wide receiver at LSU (1997–1999), Valdosta State University (2000) and a Cleveland Browns wide receiver in 2001. Another brother, John David Booty, was the starting quarterback at USC in 2007, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2008. John David quarterbacked USC's victories over Michigan and Illinois in the 2007 and 2008 Rose Bowls, respectively. Booty's nephew, General, played college football as a quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. His son, Parker Fulghum, is a wide receiver for Clemson.[7]

He was formerly the spokesperson for TrueMRI in Beverly Hills, California, and has been involved with numerous radio and television commentating work in sports, including Sirius, Fox Sports, ESPN Radio.

Josh won the MLB Network reality show "The Next Knuckler", hosted by former Boston Red Sox players Tim Wakefield and Kevin Millar. The show also included football players Doug Flutie, John David Booty, David Greene, and Ryan Perrilloux. For winning, he got a chance to go to spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a pitcher, even though his baseball rights technically still belonged to the Marlins.[8] He struggled with his command while pitching in minor league spring training games and was released on March 28.[9]

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Joshua Gibson Booty (born April 29, 1975) is an American former professional athlete who played as a in the () and as a in (MLB), becoming one of the few individuals to appear in games for both leagues. Born in , Booty rose to prominence at in , where he quarterbacked the Eagles to three consecutive state championships from 1991 to 1993 and set national high school records with 11,700 career passing yards and 126 passes—becoming the first player to surpass 10,000 passing yards—while accumulating 12,105 total offensive yards. A two-sport standout, Booty was selected fifth overall by the Florida Marlins in the first round of the 1994 MLB Draft out of high school, signing a $1.6 million bonus and forgoing college initially to pursue baseball. He debuted in the majors with the Marlins on September 24, 1996, and appeared in 13 games over three seasons (1996–1998), batting .269 with 7 hits in 30 plate appearances, and was part of the Marlins' 1997 World Series-winning team as a bench player, while primarily serving as a utility infielder during his five-year professional baseball tenure, which included time in the minors with affiliates like the Kane County Cougars and Portland Sea Dogs. After being released by the Marlins organization following the 1998 season, Booty transitioned to football, enrolling at Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1999 at age 24 to play quarterback, under coach Gerry DiNardo that year and Nick Saban in 2000. At LSU, Booty started 18 games over two seasons (1999–2000), passing for 3,951 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions with a 49.4% completion rate, while leading the Tigers to a 10-win season and Cotton Bowl victory in 2000; his senior year included 2,121 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. Selected in the sixth round (172nd overall) of the by the , Booty spent three years in the league, appearing on practice squads and rosters for the , , and under coaches including , , and , though he never played in a regular-season game before being waived in 2003.

Early life and high school career

Family background

Joshua Gibson Booty was born on April 29, 1975, in , while his father completed his college career there. The family relocated to , when Booty was in the second grade, where he spent the remainder of his upbringing. Booty hails from an athletic family with a strong legacy in football and . His father, Johnny Booty, was a at and also participated in during his college years, later serving as a coach and preacher who emphasized competitive sports. Johnny had been an All-American high school at Woodlawn High School in . Booty's mother, Sonya, supported the family's deep involvement in athletics. The Booty siblings exemplified this family tradition, with all four brothers excelling in high school sports, particularly football. As the eldest, Booty was followed by his brother Abram, a who played at and signed with the in the . Another brother, , became a standout at the and was selected by the in the fifth round of the . The youngest brother, Jake Booty, also pursued athletics but focused on coaching after high school. From a young age, Booty was immersed in a household that prioritized and football, fostering his early exposure to multiple sports through family games and his father's coaching influence. This environment shaped his dual-sport aptitude without yet yielding professional accomplishments, laying the groundwork for his future pursuits. Booty enrolled at in Shreveport in 1990, a where the family's athletic heritage continued to thrive.

High school athletics

Josh Booty attended in , from 1990 to 1994, where he emerged as a standout dual-sport in football and , drawing inspiration from his family's athletic legacy, including his brothers who also excelled on the gridiron. His versatility and dominance in both sports garnered national attention and recruitment interest from top college programs. In football, Booty played quarterback for the Evangel Eagles, amassing 11,700 passing yards and 126 touchdowns over his four-year career, setting national high school records at the time and becoming the first player to surpass 10,000 passing yards. He added 405 rushing yards for a career total of 12,105 yards, ranking eighth all-time nationally. Booty earned All-State honors multiple times, was selected as a 1993 Parade All-American, and was named USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year as well as National High School Player of the Year by several organizations. Under his leadership, Evangel captured its first state championship in 1993, defeating West St. John 29-22 in the LHSAA Class 1A final, where Booty threw four touchdown passes. The team repeated as state champions in 1994. In baseball, Booty primarily played shortstop and third base, posting a .429 batting average with 12 home runs, 20 intentional walks, and 25 stolen bases during his senior season in 1994. He batted over .400 in multiple seasons, including a sophomore year highlighted by a 26-game hitting streak that earned him city MVP honors. A four-time All-State selection, Booty was named to the 1994 ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Team and received the Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year award for baseball. His performance also earned him USA Today All-American recognition in the sport. Balancing the demands of two sports presented challenges for Booty, who participated in summer baseball leagues while committing to football during the school year, a schedule that honed his discipline but limited off-season recovery. This dual pursuit attracted scholarship offers from major college programs in both sports, including interest from SEC schools for football and baseball powerhouses for the diamond. Upon graduating in 1994, Booty chose to forgo immediate college football opportunities in favor of pursuing a career.

Baseball career

Draft and minor leagues

In the 1994 Major League Baseball draft, Josh Booty was selected fifth overall in the first round by the Florida Marlins as a and out of in . He signed a professional contract shortly thereafter, receiving a record $1.6 million for a high school player at the time, which reflected the Marlins' high expectations for his defensive skills and power potential. Booty's minor league career began in 1994 with the of the (Class A-) and the Gulf Coast League Marlins (Rookie), where he posted a .231 in 14 games as he adjusted to professional play. In 1995, he split time between the of the (Class A) and Elmira, hitting .187 with 7 home runs over 105 games, showcasing his raw power while struggling with s. In 1996, Booty played for the , batting .206 with 21 home runs in 128 games, though his high rate persisted. He reached Double-A in 1997 with the of the Eastern League, where he hit 20 home runs and earned the organization's Defensive Player of the Year award for his strong play at third base. Booty split the 1998 season between Portland and the of the (Triple-A), batting .182 with 13 home runs in 109 games. Throughout his five seasons in the Marlins' system, Booty demonstrated positional versatility, primarily at third base but also seeing time in the outfield to accommodate his development. He finished with an overall batting average of .201, 62 home runs, and 252 RBIs in 478 games, highlighted by 20-plus home runs in both Class A and Double-A campaigns that underscored his ability. Although he spent most of in the minors, Booty was included on the Marlins' World Series-winning roster as a bench player. Booty faced significant challenges, including persistent batting struggles marked by a high strikeout total of 621 in 1,745 at-bats and injuries that limited his consistency, contributing to his decision to leave after the 1998 season to pursue a football at .

Major League Baseball

Booty made his debut on September 24, 1996, with the Florida Marlins, entering as a defensive replacement at third base in a game against the . In his rookie season, he appeared in just two games, recording one hit in two at-bats for a .500 , with no RBIs. The following year, 1997, Booty saw limited action in four games for the Marlins, going 3-for-5 (.600) with one RBI, primarily serving as a late-inning defensive substitute at third base. Although he spent most of the season in the , Booty was included on the Marlins' postseason roster and contributed to their championship victory over the Indians, earning a ring as a bench player despite not appearing in the . In 1998, Booty's most extensive MLB exposure came with seven games for the Marlins early in the season, including a start on at third base under manager . He batted .158 (3-for-19) with three RBIs in those appearances, but his season was cut short by injury after about a month. His final MLB game occurred on April 11, 1998. Over his brief three-year MLB career with the Marlins, Booty played in 13 games total, accumulating 26 at-bats, seven hits, four RBIs, and no home runs, for a .269 . His limited playing time stemmed from his status as a top prospect navigating organizational depth at third base and other infield positions, where established players and fellow prospects filled the roster.

Later baseball attempts

After retiring from professional football, Josh Booty sought to revive his career in 2013 by transitioning to pitching, specifically mastering the , more than a decade after his last appearance as an . Booty, then 37 years old, won MLB Network's reality competition series "The Next Knuckler," which featured former quarterbacks learning the pitch from experts including and ; the victory earned him a non-roster invitation to the Diamondbacks' camp. During camp, Booty trained under the guidance of Hough and Diamondbacks pitching coach , focusing on refining his grip and release; he appeared in games, where he threw 28 pitches in one outing but struggled with low velocity—typically in the high 50s to low 60s mph—and inconsistent control, leading to walks and difficulty locating the pitch. The Diamondbacks released Booty on March 27, 2013, prior to the start of the regular season, citing his challenges in adapting to professional pitching demands at an advanced age; the attempt garnered significant media attention as a feel-good novelty story of a two-sport athlete's improbable comeback but did not lead to any further opportunities.

Football career

College career at LSU

After retiring from professional baseball in early 1999, where he had spent five seasons in the Florida Marlins organization, Josh Booty enrolled at Louisiana State University to pursue a football career as a quarterback. At age 24, Booty joined the Tigers as an older freshman with high school pedigree, having been a highly touted recruit years earlier. He quickly earned playing time without a redshirt year, competing in a quarterback competition with Rohan Davey under head coach Gerry DiNardo. His first career start came on September 11 against North Texas, where he completed 9 of 14 passes for 86 yards in a 52-0 win. In his 1999 freshman season, Booty appeared in 10 of LSU's 12 games. He started against Georgia on , completing 19 of 45 passes for 280 yards and 1 with 3 interceptions in a narrow 22-23 loss. Overall, he threw for 1,830 yards on 162 completions out of 333 attempts (48.6% completion rate), with 7 and a league-high 19 interceptions, contributing to the team's struggles in a 3-8 overall record and 1-7 mark in the (SEC). Notable moments included a 27-yard pass to his brother Abram Booty in a 23-42 loss to Ole Miss and relief appearances in close games, such as the season finale against , a 35-10 victory where Booty completed 4 of 6 passes for 43 yards with no interceptions. His turnover-prone play reflected the Tigers' offensive inconsistencies during a rebuilding year that led to DiNardo's firing. Booty's performance improved markedly in 2000 under new head coach , where he started the first four games and appeared in 10 overall, passing for 2,121 yards on 145 of 290 attempts (50.0% completion rate), 17 , and 15 interceptions. He ranked fourth in the SEC in passing yards and fourth in , helping lead LSU to an 8-4 record (5-3 in the SEC West) and a berth in the , which the Tigers won 28-14 over . Key highlights included a career-high four passes in a 30-28 comeback win over , earning him SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and a 58-0 rout of Western Carolina where he threw for 291 yards and two scores. Booty split time with Davey later in the season due to injuries and team strategy, but his leadership contributed to LSU's resurgence and a No. 22 final ranking. Over two seasons at LSU, Booty accumulated 3,951 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions in 20 games, providing stability at during a transitional period for the program. He received SEC recognition for his statistical rankings but did not earn All-SEC honors. Following the 2000 season, Booty declared for the , forgoing further college eligibility.

Professional career

Booty was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round (172nd overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft, based on his senior season at Louisiana State University where he threw for 2,121 yards and 17 touchdowns. Shortly after the draft, he was waived by the Seahawks on September 2, 2001, and claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns the following day. During his tenure with the Browns from 2001 to 2003, Booty signed as a backup quarterback behind starter and competed with for the role. He trained under head coach and offensive coordinator , focusing on developing his skills in a professional system but never advancing beyond the practice squad. Over these three seasons, Booty appeared in no regular-season games and recorded no statistics. Booty's opportunities were limited by intense competition at , particularly from the established , who held the starting position despite frequent injuries, as well as his low position on the depth chart. These factors, combined with ' roster dynamics, prevented him from seeing game action. Following the 2003 , Booty was waived by on September 17, 2003. After a hiatus from football, Booty attempted an NFL comeback in 2007, signing with the as a on March 22. He was waived by the Raiders prior to the season and did not appear in any games. This marked the end of his professional football career.

Later life

Broadcasting and endorsements

Following his release from the in 2003, Josh Booty transitioned into broadcasting, leveraging his unique background as a two-sport professional athlete to provide analysis on and the NFL. He worked as a freelance contributor for Fox Sports, offering commentary on various programs during the late 2000s. In 2008, Booty was arrested for and tased during booking at the , leading to a that was settled in 2010. Booty also contributed to radio broadcasts, co-hosting shows on Radio and that covered football topics, with his involvement spanning from the mid-2000s into the 2010s. These roles capitalized on his experiences at LSU and in the , allowing him to offer insights into play and multi-sport challenges. He frequently appeared as a guest on sports TV networks, discussing team strategies and player development. In endorsements, Booty served as a for TrueMRI, a company based in , during the 2000s and 2010s, promoting advanced diagnostic services through his public profile as a former MLB and player. His dual-sport fame made him an appealing figure for such promotions, highlighting themes of athletic resilience and health. Booty featured in various media appearances focused on two-sport athletes, including and interviews where he shared perspectives on transitioning between and football. For instance, in a 2021 , he discussed life after , emphasizing the mental and physical demands of pursuing careers in both MLB and the . These contributions often explored multi-sport transitions, drawing from his own path until his 2013 attempt to return to via MLB Network's "The Next Knuckler" reality show.

Business ventures

Following his athletic career, Josh Booty transitioned into , focusing on ventures in sports technology, , and . In January 2021, he co-founded Bula Technologies Inc. alongside his brother Jack Booty and Michael Caplovitz, serving as a key executive in the company. Bula Technologies develops an app-based platform centered on social betting and challenges for skill-based sports and wellness activities, initially launching with features such as instant-settling wagers on , skins games, and group competitions. The platform aims to foster competitive, rewarding interactions among friends, with plans to expand into , soccer, running, football, tennis, , and , emphasizing a gamified community for global users. Growth has included a 2022 campaign targeting at least $250,000 and an early access waitlist in 2025 offering incentives like wallet credits and prizes to build user engagement. In September 2025, Booty joined Venture Forward Capital as a Partner and Head of , leveraging his sports background to drive investments in sports technology startups. As of 2025, his role focuses on relationship-building and opportunity identification within the firm's portfolio of innovative sports-related ventures. The firm prioritizes high-impact investments in areas like digital platforms and performance tools for athletes. Booty is also involved with Madison Capital Group, a firm specializing in investments and development, including communities, self-storage facilities, and commercial properties in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Through this partnership, he applies his athlete network to facilitate deals and strategic opportunities in the sector. His broadcasting experience has served as a foundational network for these business connections. In , Booty was featured in articles highlighting his entrepreneurial resilience, drawing parallels between overcoming athletic setbacks—such as career-ending injuries and transitions between sports—and succeeding in . These discussions emphasize adaptability and as key to his post-athletic ventures, without ongoing athletic involvement.

Family updates

Josh Booty's nephew, , has continued the family's athletic legacy as a , playing for the from 2022 to 2023 before transferring to the (ULM) in 2024, where he served as the starting . General Booty entered the transfer portal from ULM in December 2024. As of 2025, he is no longer active in FBS . Booty's sons have also pursued athletics at the collegiate level. His son Parker Fulghum is a who walked on at in 2024 and remains active on the team as of 2025, having redshirted his freshman year and appearing in limited games. Parker's brother, Peyton Fulghum, committed to Bossier Parish Community College for in April 2024. Among Booty's siblings, brother Abram Booty retired from a brief NFL career with the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys in the early 2000s after playing wide receiver at LSU from 1997 to 1999 and Valdosta State University. John David Booty, another brother, retired from the NFL after stints with teams including the Minnesota Vikings and has since focused on post-football endeavors, including public speaking on overcoming health challenges from his playing days and involvement in family-oriented business activities as of 2024. The Booty brothers' shared high school success at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana, fostered strong family bonds that influenced Josh's career decisions, with frequent gatherings reinforcing their mutual support in athletics. In his personal life, Booty married Rachel Reynolds in 2003, though the couple later divorced, and his family provided crucial emotional support during his transitions between , football, and post-athletic ventures. Booty and his family reside in the Shreveport area of , maintaining close ties to the region's .

References

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