Bill Rasmussen, who founded ESPN, dies at 93

Entrepreneur Bill Rasmussen, who conceived the idea of a 24-hour cable sports network that became ESPN in 1979, died on Tuesday. He was 93.

According to a news release from ESPN, Rasmussen died from the effects of Parkinson’s disease.

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“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.”

According to the cable sports news outlet, Rasmussen conceived the idea of ESPN while sitting in traffic with his son, Scott, in August 1978. The duo had been investigating the new technology of delivering television programming via satellite.

While they discussed possible programming for their newly acquired transponder, the elder Rasmussen, a former sports broadcaster, blurted out the possibility of a network dedicated solely to sports.

Both agreed that the idea was sound.

Rasmussen was taking a risk. He had just been fired as communications director of the New England Whalers, but he maxed out his credit card and acquired space on a communications satellite, ESPN reported.

Setting up in central Connecticut, Rasmussen helped unveil the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, which was later shortened to ESPN. He became the network’s first president and CEO.

“Bill was our George Washington and a great friend,” longtime 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.”

Rasmussen left ESPN in 1980, but reconnected with the network in 1999 ahead of its 20th anniversary, The Athletic reported.

Rasmussen contributed to several media ventures and chronicled his experience in public speaking engagements, according to ESPN. He also wrote a book about his experience at ESPN in his 1983 book, “Sports Junkies Rejoice: The Birth of ESPN.”

In 1994, USA Today called Rasmussen the “Father of sports television.”

“I believe the harder you work the luckier you are,” Rasmussen told Forbes in a 2012 interview. “That’s been my mantra forever. Growing up at the end of the Depression and going into World War II, it was instilled in us that we would be positive and do things. I’ve been touring college campuses over the past three years, speaking to student groups, and I encourage budding entrepreneurs to pursue their ideas, even if they don’t understand all the logistics.”

He also took pride in founding the round-the-clock sports network, which has become a staple of sports programming.

“I thought, why not a channel that’s on all the time?” Rasmussen told Cronkite News decades after ESPN’s birth. “Sports don’t stop at 6 o’clock.”

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