Bill Rasmussen, the co-founder of the sports network ESPN, has died at age 93 in Florida. At the time of his death, Rasmussen was battling Parkinson’s disease.

Bill Rasmussen

“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,” Pitaro continued.

Rasmussen was born in Chicago on October 15, 1932. His career in media began in 1962. In 1965, he worked for Massachusetts radio station WWLP as a sports and news director. In 1974, he served as communications director for the New England Whalers for a few years.

Rasmussen was determined to make a 24-hour sports channel come to life, and on September 7, 1979, ESPN was born with the help of his son, Scott. Rasmussen served as the channel’s first president and CEO. However, he left after a few years to pursue other opportunities in media, including writing a book titled Sports Junkies Rejoice: The Birth of ESPN.

He was married to his wife, Lois, for 56 years, and is survived by his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

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