ESPN Co-Founder Bill Rasmussen Dies at 93 After Launching 24-Hour Sports TV
Updated
Updated · The Daily Gazette · Aug 22
ESPN Co-Founder Bill Rasmussen Dies at 93 After Launching 24-Hour Sports TV
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Gazette · Aug 22
Summary
Bill Rasmussen, the ESPN co-founder who helped create the round-the-clock sports network, died Tuesday at his Florida home at 93 from the effects of Parkinson’s disease.
1979 marked ESPN’s debut after Rasmussen and his son Scott developed the idea for a 24-hour sports channel that would reshape U.S. television viewing habits.
Getty Oil, ESPN’s majority owner, forced the Rasmussens out after only a year, leaving Bill Rasmussen estranged from the company until executives invited him to its 20th anniversary in 1999.
2025 brought Rasmussen’s induction into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, capping a legacy tied to one of cable television’s most influential launches.