He was 93 and died at his Florida home after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Rasmussen and his son, Scott, came up with the idea of a 24-hour national sports network in the 1970s. From there, the Entertainment and Sports Programming network was officially created on Sept. 7, 1979.
Bill was the network's first president and CEO. "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 in a statement. "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.
"Bill was our George Washington and a good friend," said veteran anchor Chris Berman, who joined ESPN three weeks after its launch in 1979. "He was such a grateful person and every sports fan can be grateful for Bill. 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." Rasmussen left ESPN a few years after its founding but has remained a key figure in sports over the last few decades. After founding ESPN, Rasmussen became a public speaker encouraging students and young entrepreneurs to fully pursue their ideas. He also wrote a book about his experience founding ESPN called "Sports Junkies Rejoice: The Birth of ESPN."
Extract — continue reading at the source.
