Bill Rasmussen, a broadcaster who helped pioneer the idea of an around-the-clock network dedicated to sports programming, died on Tuesday from the effects of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 93.
His death was announced by ESPN, the network he co-founded with son Scott Rasmussen from a building in Connecticut in the late 1970s — a state that still serves as the home base of ESPN’s worldwide sports operations.
“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 on Tuesday. “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.”
The idea for ESPN emerged in 1978, as Rasmussen and his son explored the emerging use of satellite distribution for television. What started as a plan to carry Connecticut sports programming expanded into a 24-hour national sports network after Rasmussen secured valuable satellite transponder space and began pitching leagues, cable operators and investors.
Backed by Getty Oil, an NCAA programming agreement and an advertising deal with Anheuser-Busch, ESPN launched at 7 p.m. Eastern on September 7, 1979. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network reached 1.4 million homes at launch. Its first program was “SportsCenter,” hosted by Lee Leonard and George Grande.
“SportsCenter” became ESPN’s defining program and one of the most important franchises in sports television. Under Rasmussen’s early leadership, ESPN also introduced round-the-clock sports programming and gained attention for its coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 1980.
“Bill was our George Washington and a good friend,” Chris Berman, the veteran ESPN anchor who joined the network three weeks after launch, 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.”
Rasmussen was born October 15, 1932 in Chicago and raised in Columbus Manor, Illinois. He attended DePauw University, served in the U.S. Air Force and later earned an MBA from Rutgers University.
His media career began in radio at WTTT (1150 AM) in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1962. He later worked at WWLP (Channel 22) in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he served as the station’s Sports Director and News Director. In 1974, he joined the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association as their Communications Director.
After leaving ESPN in 1980, Rasmussen worked as a consultant to sports rights holders and media companies and remained active in other sports media ventures. He also became a public speaker, recounting the early years of ESPN and the entrepreneurial risk behind the network’s launch.
Rasmussen wrote “Sports Junkies Rejoice: The Birth of ESPN” and “ESPN: One Giant Leap for Fankind.” A documentary and book project, “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN,” was released earlier this year with the network’s backing.
He publicly disclosed his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2019 and became an advocate for Parkinson’s patients through the American Parkinson Disease Association and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Rasmussen was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Lois, in 2011. He is survived by his sons Scott Rasmussen and Glenn Rasmussen, daughter Lynn Van Hollebeke, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
