Bill Rasmussen, who founded ESPN and in the process forever changed sports media, passed away Tuesday at 93. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
“Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “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 — key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day. … His legacy will always be a part of ESPN.”
Rasmussen and his son, Scott, came up with the idea to launch a sports network after purchasing an RCA satellite transponder. The result in September 1979 was ESPN, which utilized the device to reach 1.4 million homes at its launch. The network started with an episode of “SportsCenter” featuring anchors Lee Leonard and George Grande before broadcasting the American Slow Pitch Softball World Series. Rasmussen ultimately left the company in 1980 after former NBC Sports president Chet Simmons became its president.
The company expanded its sports rights portfolio in the years to come, inking its first major deal with the NCAA to televise select collegiate sporting events. ESPN televised the NFL Draft for the first time in 1980 and proceeded to air its first live NFL game seven years later. ESPN proceeded to expand its portfolio from there with broadcast rights to leagues such as the NBA, NHL and MLB, along with televising other sports including lacrosse, golf and boxing.
Rasmussen formerly worked as communications manager for the New England Whalers and also hosted a monthly cable television show highlighting Connecticut sports. Prior to that time, he worked on television as sports director of WWLP-TV and had also been in radio on WTTT in Amherst, Mass. Before working in media, Rasmussen was in advertising and created a startup in Newark, N.J. Rasmussen graduated from DePauw University in 1954 and later went on to earn his master’s degree at Rutgers University after serving in the U.S. Air Force.
Former ESPN president George Bodenheimer dedicated a plaque and flag pole at the company’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn. to Rasmussen in 2010. Rasmussen was interviewed for a documentary that premiered on ESPN earlier this year titled “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” directed by Greg DeHart with executive producer Garrett Sutton and producer Mike Soltys.
“Bill was our George Washington and a good friend,” ESPN anchor Chris Berman said in a statement. “He was such a grateful person and every sports fan can be grateful for Bill. He wasn’t a glass half-full guy; his glass was always overflowing with optimism. He greeted everyone with a smile and we can all smile knowing Bill’s legacy.”
Following his time with ESPN, Rasmussen worked as a consultant for several companies, gave public speeches and also had other business and charitable ventures. In addition, he worked to spread awareness of Parkinson’s disease, with which he was diagnosed in 2019. Rasmussen was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2025.
