Bill Rasmussen, ESPN co-founder, dead at 93

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The Hill's Headlines (PM) - August 18, 2026

The Hill's Headlines (PM) - August 18, 2026

(NewsNation) — The sports and television world said goodbye to a pioneer Tuesday with the death of ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen. He was 93.

Rasmussen was the architect — along with his son Scott — of the initial idea for ESPN, which eventually became a 24-hour national sports network.

“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........

© The Hill