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ESPN Co-Founder Bill Rasmussen Dies at 93
One of ESPN’s early breakthroughs came when Bill Rasmussen pursued college basketball rights that larger networks had passed on. The strategy helped establish ESPN as a destination for sports that traditional television outlets didn’t consider valuable enough to broadcast extensively.
Bill Rasmussen, the visionary who co-founded ESPN and helped create the 24-hour sports television industry, has died at 93. His unlikely idea transformed how the world watches sports.
Rasmussen died Tuesday at his home in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, from complications related to Parkinson’s disease, according to ESPN. He had been diagnosed with the disease in 2019.
His death marks the passing of one of the most influential figures in modern sports broadcasting.
The Crazy Idea Born in a Traffic Jam
ESPN’s origin story sounds almost too unlikely to be true.
In 1978, Bill Rasmussen had recently been fired from his position with the New England Whalers. While driving with his son Scott on Interstate 84 in Connecticut, the pair began discussing what to do with a satellite transponder Rasmussen had obtained.
Scott, reportedly tired and half-asleep, suggested they could “play football all day.”
That offhand remark became the foundation for ESPN.
Bill Rasmussen envisioned a network that would broadcast sports around the clock, an idea investors initially considered unrealistic.
At a time when television stations often stopped broadcasting overnight, Rasmussen believed an audience would watch sports at virtually any hour.
He was right.
$9,000 Helped Launch a Sports Revolution
Rasmussen reportedly borrowed $9,000 against his credit card as he worked to get the company off the ground.
ESPN was incorporated on July 14, 1978. Rasmussen subsequently purchased land in Bristol, Connecticut, for the company’s satellite dish and future headquarters.
Getty Oil eventually invested $15 million for an 85% stake, while Anheuser-Busch became an important early advertiser.
ESPN officially launched on September 7, 1979, beginning with a 30-minute edition of SportsCenter.
The network initially reached approximately 1.4 million households.
Few could have imagined what it would eventually become.
From Skepticism to Sports Media Dominance
One of ESPN’s early breakthroughs came when Bill Rasmussen pursued college basketball rights that larger networks had passed on.
The strategy helped establish ESPN as a destination for sports that traditional television outlets didn’t consider valuable enough to broadcast extensively.
The network eventually expanded dramatically, transforming SportsCenter into a cultural institution while acquiring rights to major American sports and countless collegiate competitions.
Rasmussen, however, would not remain in control for long.
Getty forced him out as ESPN chairman in September 1980, barely a year after launch.
Despite being pushed aside, he later said there were two choices after such a setback: remain bitter or start over.
He chose the latter.
Statement from ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro on ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen’s passing
More: https://t.co/LJkO283xSI pic.twitter.com/EX29CCrbX1
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) August 18, 2026
A Legacy Far Bigger Than His Time at ESPN
Rasmussen and Scott later tried to launch a nationwide sports radio network, but the venture eventually failed.
Bill Rasmussen also wrote Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN and spent later years working as a motivational speaker.
His contribution to sports broadcasting was eventually formally recognized when he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025.
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro called Rasmussen a visionary whose entrepreneurial spirit remained part of the company’s culture.
“None of us would be here today” without Rasmussen’s work, Pitaro said in a statement.
From a traffic jam and a seemingly ridiculous idea to one of the biggest sports-media brands on Earth, Bill Rasmussen’s gamble changed television forever.
