VISIONARY

ESPN Founder Dead After Battling Severe Health Condition

Bill Rasmussen came up with the business idea while stuck in traffic with his son.

ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen died on Tuesday at the age of 93 after battling Parkinson’s disease. Rasmussen founded ESPN with his son Scott in 1979, creating one of the biggest sports media networks. The idea began in 1978, shortly after Rasmussen was fired as communications director for the New England Whalers. While stuck in traffic with his son, he suggested creating a television network devoted entirely to sports. With financial backing from Getty Oil and deals with the NCAA and Anheuser-Busch, ESPN launched in 1.4 million homes on September 7, 1979. Its first program was SportsCenter, hosted by Lee Leonard and George Grande. “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. Rasmussen served as ESPN’s first president and was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025. He is survived by three children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. His wife of 56 years, Lois, died in 2011.