Bill Rasmussen, ESPN founder, dies at 93
NEW YORK, Aug. 19. Bill Rasmussen, who conceived the idea of a cable network devoted to sports and co-founded ESPN, died Tuesday at 93 from the effects of Parkinson's disease, the network reported.
Key takeaways
- Bill Rasmussen, who conceived and co-founded ESPN, died Tuesday at 93 from the effects of Parkinson's disease.
- Rasmussen came up with the idea for an all-sports cable channel during a car ride on August 16, 1978, with his son Scott.
- ESPN launched on Sept. 7, 1979, opening with the first broadcast of SportsCenter, which remains its flagship program.
- ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro called Rasmussen "a visionary and an innovator," saying "None of us would be here today if it wasn't for Bill."
- Rasmussen became an ambassador for Parkinson's patients through the American Parkinson Disease Association and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
NEW YORK, Aug. 19. Bill Rasmussen, who conceived the idea of a cable network devoted to sports and co-founded ESPN, died Tuesday at 93 from the effects of Parkinson's disease, the network reported.
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement that Rasmussen was "a visionary and an innovator" whose passion and entrepreneurial spirit shaped the company's culture from its founding in the late 1970s. "None of us would be here today if it wasn't for Bill," Pitaro said. He described that culture as something that still carries on at ESPN today.
The idea for the network came during a traffic stop in 1978. Rasmussen and his son Scott were discussing programming options for a satellite transponder the two had acquired from RCA when Rasmussen proposed a cable channel devoted entirely to sports. ESPN launched on Sept. 7, 1979, opening with the first broadcast of SportsCenter, which remains the network's flagship program nearly 50 years later.
Scott Rasmussen, writing on X on Tuesday, described the car ride of August 16, 1978 as a moment he has never forgotten. He said his most vivid memory came at around 6 p.m. on Sept. 7, 1979, one hour before ESPN went on air, when the two slipped away from the building to reflect privately on everything since that drive. Scott said the two worked closely together for a few years in the late 1970s and early 1980s after he finished high school, but that their paths in life later diverged.
Chris Berman, who joined ESPN three weeks after the network's launch in 1979, called Rasmussen "our George Washington" on Tuesday. "He was such a grateful person," Berman said, adding that Rasmussen's glass was always overflowing with optimism rather than half full.
Rasmussen became an ambassador for Parkinson's patients through the American Parkinson Disease Association and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Pitaro said one of his own lasting memories was catching a ceremonial first pitch that Rasmussen threw at Fenway Park in Boston during ESPN's 40th anniversary celebration.
ESPN said donations may be directed to the American Parkinson Disease Association in lieu of flowers.