Bill Rasmussen, ESPN Founder, Dies at 93
Bill Rasmussen, who founded ESPN and launched the world's first 24-hour sports television network on Sept. 7, 1979, died Tuesday at his Florida home from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 93.
Bill Rasmussen, who conceived and launched ESPN, the world's first 24-hour television network devoted to sports, died Tuesday at his Florida home from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 93.
Rasmussen co-founded ESPN with his son Scott, serving as the network's first president and CEO. The network launched on Sept. 7, 1979, after Rasmussen maxed out his credit card and used a $9,000 advance to acquire valuable space on a communications satellite. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said Rasmussen's vision was fundamental to the modern sports industry: "Bill was a remarkable man, a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports. Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn't for Bill's passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s."
Rasmussen had been fired as communications director of the New England Whalers before developing the ESPN concept. The network attracted early talent quickly: Chris Berman joined three weeks after launch in 1979 and became one of ESPN's defining personalities.
Rasmussen documented his experience founding ESPN in a book titled "Sports Junkies Rejoice: The Birth of ESPN." In a 2012 Forbes interview, he stated his philosophy: "I believe the harder you work the luckier you are. That's been my mantra forever."
He was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Lois, in 2011. Rasmussen is survived by two sons, Scott Rasmussen and Glenn Rasmussen; his daughter Lynn Van Hollebeke; seven grandchildren (Andy, P.J., Wil, MaryAnn, Donna, Jessica, and Sarah); a great grandson, Otto; and a great granddaughter, Adelaide.
ESPN, the world's first 24-hour sports television network, launched on Sept. 7, 1979, after Rasmussen maxed out his credit card and used a $9,000 advance to secure satellite space following his firing as communications director of the New England Whalers.
Rasmussen's death marks the end of an era for the figure whose entrepreneurial vision created the infrastructure that enabled the modern sports television industry. His legacy remains embedded in every 24-hour sports broadcast and the media ecosystem that sustains professional and collegiate athletics globally.
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