Kris Budden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kris Budden | |
|---|---|
 Budden in 2024 | |
| Born | March 9, 1984 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | Broadcast journalism degree, Missouri School of Journalism |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri |
| Occupation | Sports commentator |
| Years active | 2007-present |
| Employer | ESPN |
| Spouse |
Mario Toledo (m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
Kristen Lee Budden (born March 9, 1984) is an American sports reporter for ESPN. Budden is known for reporting on the San Diego Padres as well as being a sideline reporter for college football, college basketball, and college baseball, as well as being a general assignment reporter during the U.S. Open tennis tournament.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 9, 1984, Budden moved with her family at age 10 to Dallas, Texas. As a teenager, she shadowed her godfather at his anchor job at WFAA. She attended Trinity Christian Academy, in the Dallas suburb of Addison, where she was a two-time state champion with the school's tennis team. She went on to graduate with honors from University of Missouri's School of Journalism with a broadcast journalism degree.[1][2]
Career
Budden's first job was as a weekend sports anchor at WCAV in Charlottesville, Virginia. Within 18 months, she moved to WBIR in Knoxville, Tennessee, to work as both a sports anchor and reporter covering the Tennessee Volunteers' athletics programs. Over the course of six years, Budden covered the men's and women's NCAA and SEC basketball tournaments, the 2012 Summer Olympics and Pat Summitt's retirement. At WBIR, Budden received the Tennessee Associated Press Broadcasters' award for Best Breaking Sports News and posted four consecutive second-place finishes in the Best Sports Feature category.[1]
In August 2013, Budden moved to San Diego, California, after accepting a position with Fox Sports. She was, at first, a part of the Fox NFL broadcast crew. In March 2014, she became the sideline reporter for the Padres broadcasts and a fill-in host for the team's pre- and post-game shows. Prior to the 2014 NCAA college football season, she began coverage, mainly as a sideline reporter, for Fox Sports.[1]
For ESPN, Budden covers college football, basketball, and baseball, and also contributes to the network's coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament.[3]