Bill Rasmussen, the co-founder of ESPN, has died at age 93, according to ABC News. ESPN historian Mike Soltys said Rasmussen died Tuesday at his home in Florida from the effects of Parkinson’s disease.
Rasmussen and his son Scott created the idea for a cable network devoted to sports around the clock, a concept that would go on to reshape television viewing in the United States. ESPN launched on Sept. 7, 1979, with the first “SportsCenter” broadcast before its first live event, a slow-pitch softball game.
According to ABC News, Rasmussen’s original plan was a cable channel focused on Connecticut sports, but the idea grew after a suggestion to use satellite time and reach a national audience. The network got financial backing from Getty Oil and a rights deal with the NCAA, and it signed on while its Bristol, Connecticut studio was still being built.
After leaving ESPN in 1980, Rasmussen later reconnected with the company and was recognized for his role in creating the network. He is survived by his sons Scott and Glenn, daughter Lynn Van Hollebeke, seven grandchildren, one great-grandson and one great-granddaughter.
