Bill Rasmussen, the man who revolutionized sports coverage by founding ESPN, has passed away. He was 93.
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ESPN announced Rasmussen's death in a press release on Aug. 18. The cause of death is the effects of Parkinson's Disease.
He is survived by two sons — Scott Rasmussen and his wife Laura and Glenn Rasmussen. He is also survived by his daughter Lynn Van Hollebeke and her husband Louie; seven grandchildren — Andy, P.J., Wil, MaryAnn, Donna, Jessica and Sarah; one great grandson, Otto; and one great granddaughter, Adelaide. His wife of 56 years, Lois, passed away in 2011.
Back in August 1978, Rasmussen and son Scott came up with the idea of a network solely focused on sports programming. They had acquired a satellite transponder and sought the best use for it.
Thirteen months and multiple agreements later, they officially launched the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network on Sept. 7, 1979. They debuted the channel with the first-ever episode of SportsCenter.
The story of ESPN can’t be told without Bill Rasmussen, and we as sports fans owe him so much.
What a legend we lost today. pic.twitter.com/gi4C3qY5fH
— ESPN (@espn) August 18, 2026
The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network rebranded to ESPN in 1984, and it has continued under this brand ever since while becoming a global sports powerhouse.
The channel started in 1979 with its NCAA programming contract, and it has only expanded to include countless other sports. This includes the NBA and the NFL, the biggest money maker in athletics.
"Bill was a remarkable man - a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports," said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
"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."
An Illinois native, Rasmussen earned a Bachelor's in economics from DePauw University. He then enlisted in the United States Air Force in the mid-1950s before eventually earning an MBA from Rutgers University.
He shifted his focus to athletics in the early 1960s. He served as the sports director at WWLP-TV in Massachusetts, and he performed play-by-play duties for numerous matches across multiple sports. He also spent five seasons as the communications director at the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association.
Rasmussen left the Whalers at the conclusion of the 1977-78 season, and he moved into the next chapter of his life. He came up with the idea of the sports-focused network, and he forever changed the world.
