Joe Rutherford

{{short description|English footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2019}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Joe Rutherford

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1914|9|20}}

| birth_place = Fatfield, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|1994|12|27|1914|9|20|df=y}}

| death_place = Sutton Coldfield, England

| height =

| position = Goalkeeper

| years1 = | clubs1 = Birtley Colliery | caps1 = | goals1 =

| years2 = 1936–1939 | clubs2 = Southport | caps2 = 88 | goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1939–1952 | clubs3 = Aston Villa | caps3 = 148 | goals3 = 0

| totalcaps = 236 | totalgoals = 0

}}

Joe Rutherford (20 September 1920 – 27 December 1994) was a footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Southport and Aston Villa.

Born in Fatfield, County Durham, Rutherford played as a youth for Chester-le-Street Schools, Chester-le-Street Juniors, Fatfield Juniors, Chester Moor Temperance, Ferryhill, Blyth Spartans and Chester-le-Street, and had trials at West Ham United and Reading, before joining Birtley Colliery. He joined Southport in October 1936.{{hugman|17313|accessdate=1 January 2019}}{{Cite web |title=Rutherford, Joseph Henry Hamilton (Joe) |first=Jörn |last=Mårtensson |work=Aston Villa Player Database |accessdate=1 January 2019 |url= http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/1192.html}}

Rutherford joined Aston Villa in February 1939 and played in 156 league and cup matches, retiring in 1951. During the Second World War, he played in several games as a guest, for Margate, playing one game in 1939–40, Solihull Town, Nottingham Forest, Lincoln City and Mansfield Town, but these are not counted in official league records and tallies.