ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen dies at 93
Summary
Bill Rasmussen, who co-founded ESPN, the first all-sports cable TV network, died at age 93 from Parkinson’s disease. He and his son started ESPN in 1979 with the idea of a channel devoted only to sports, which changed how people watched sports on TV.Key Facts
- Bill Rasmussen co-created ESPN with his son Scott in the late 1970s.
- ESPN launched on September 7, 1979, as the first 24-hour sports cable network.
- Early cable operators doubted the idea, but satellite technology allowed national broadcasts.
- Rasmussen and his son were forced out of ESPN after one year when Getty Oil took majority control.
- ESPN began showing NFL drafts in 1980 and created the ESPY Awards in 1993 and X Games in 1995.
- The network helped grow college and women’s sports on TV and holds exclusive College Football Playoff rights.
- After years apart, ESPN welcomed Rasmussen back for anniversary events starting in 1999.
- Rasmussen died at home in Florida from complications of Parkinson’s disease, diagnosed in 2014.
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