Entertainment
Bill Rasmussen, ESPN Co-Founder, Dies at 93
Bill Rasmussen, the man who helped co-found ESPN, has died. He was 93.
The sports network announced the news on Tuesday, attributing his death to effects of 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 shared 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.”
“One of my greatest thrills since joining ESPN was getting to know Bill on a personal level. I will always cherish the memory of catching the ceremonial first pitch that he threw at Fenway Park in Boston in celebration of our 40th anniversary,” he continued. “His legacy will always be a part of ESPN.”
Rasmussen founded ESPN in 1978 with his son Scott Rasmussen and Ed Eagan. He then served as the network’s first president and CEO when it launched in September 1979.
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