Bill Rasmussen, sports TV visionary and co-founder of ESPN, dies at 93 - ESPN

Bill Rasmussen, whose vision and ambition fueled the 1979 launch of ESPN as the world's first 24-hour television network, died Tuesday. He was 93.

Rasmussen died at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson's disease.

With son Scott, Rasmussen conceived of the initial idea of ESPN — first, as solely a Connecticut venture, and then as a 24-hour national sports network.

It was a moment for risk-taking. In the late 1970s, not many people thought an around-the-clock cable sports network had any chance. Bill Rasmussen, who had just been fired as communications director of the New England Whalers, was one of them. He maxed out his credit card, and with his $9,000 advance, acquired valuable space on a communications satellite.

«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 knocked on doors, talking to all the major sports leagues, the top cable operators and an array of investors. He gained backing, and on Sept. 7, 1979, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network was born. Bill and Scott Rasmussen co-founded ESPN, with Bill serving as ESPN's first president and CEO.

Though Rasmussen left ESPN after a few years, he laid the groundwork for future growth. A meeting with the NFL did not bring immediate results, but a door was opened to what would eventually become «Monday Night Football» on ESPN.

«Bill was our George Washington and a good friend,» said