Bill Rasmussen, who is credited with co-founding ESPN in 1979, died Tuesday at the age of 93.
ESPN announced that Rasmussen died Tuesday at age 93 due to effects from Parkinson’s Disease. The network also announced his passing live on “First Take.”
ESPN announces the passing of founder Bill Rasmussen live on First Take. pic.twitter.com/TcHO2f4cXB
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 18, 2026
“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.”
Rasmussen and his son Scott had the idea for a 24-hour sports programming network in 1978, and ESPN launched one year later. He also served as the network’s first president before departing in 1980.
ESPN has, of course, grown into something far bigger than anything Rasmussen could have ever dreamt of. It paved the way for other specialized sports networks — including some it now owns — and has massively impacted both sports and culture as a whole.
