ESPN Founder Rasmussen Dies at 93, Pioneered 24-Hour Sports Network
Bill Rasmussen, the entrepreneur behind ESPN, died at 93 from Parkinson’s disease. He and his son conceived a 24-hour sports network and launched ESPN in 1979, transforming sports media with innovations like around-the-clock programming and SportsCenter. As ESPN’s first president and chairman, he helped grow the company from a Bristol startup to a global media enterprise, later receiving multiple honors and remaining active in publishing and philanthropy after leaving ESPN in 1980.