Bill Rasmussen, who co-founded ESPN in 1979 after being fired from a public relations job in the World Hockey Association, died Tuesday. ESPN historian Mike Soltys said Rasmussen died at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Rasmussen announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2014.
But the pair didn’t stick around long. They were forced out after only a year by ESPN majority owner Oil. Bill Rasmussen’s original idea was a cable channel covering only Connecticut sports.
Many cable operators in the state were skeptical, but someone suggested buying satellite time to reach a national audience. ESPN was launched on Sept. 7, 1979. George Grande welcomed viewers to the first “SportsCenter” broadcast before the network’s first live event, a slow-pitch softball game between the Kentucky Bourbons and the Milwaukee Schlitz.
The investment and the deal with the NCAA occurred on the same day. I didn’t argue with anybody. I just thought they were wrong and I was right.” When the Rasmussens were forced out of ESPN in 1980, owned 85% of the network.
Texaco, which had acquired Getty, sold its interest in ESPN to ABC in 1984. Bill Rasmussen and ESPN were estranged until 1999, when company executives invited him to the 20th anniversary celebration. Since then, he has been embraced and recognized for his vision of creating an all-sports network.
He toured the country in 2019 for the 40th anniversary and gave speeches at Walt Disney Co. and ESPN events. He wasn’t a glass half-full guy; his glass was always overflowing with optimism. He greeted everyone with a smile and we can all smile knowing Bill’s legacy.” Born in Chicago, Rasmussen earned degrees from DePauw University in Indiana and Rutgers University and served in the Air Force.
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