ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen dies at 93
- Last updated: August 19, 2026 | 13:01
Bill Rasmussen, the founder of ESPN, died on Tuesday at the age of 93 from the effects of Parkinson's disease, the network announced.
"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.
Rasmussen's wife, Lois, died in 2011. He is survived by two sons, a daughter, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Rasmussen and his son Scott began exploring the idea of a sports-only television network in 1978, using emerging satellite technology.
ESPN was launched on September 7, 1979, in 1.4 million homes, with SportsCenter as its opening program.
Rasmussen was ESPN's first president and was named chairman in July 1979 before leaving an active role at the company in October 1980.
Under Rasmussen's leadership, ESPN introduced around-the-clock sports programming and coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
ESPN has grown from about 80 employees at launch to more than 5,900 employees around the world, with eight U.S. television networks, a sports app and ESPN Audio, among other services.
Rasmussen was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025 and was named in the Sports 100 list, honoring the 100 most important people in American sports history.
Reuters