Bill Rasmussen
Encyclopedia
Bill Rasmussen is the co-founder and first president and CEO of ESPN
.
dream, incorporating the fledgling network on July 14, 1978. It began broadcasting fourteen months later, at 7 p.m. on September 7, 1979.
. He has been called “The Father of Cable Sports” by USA Today (September 1994). Rasmussen launched world’s first 24-hour cable television
network, ESPN
, where he pioneered such innovations as “SportsCenter,” wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular season and “March Madness” basketball, and NFL draft coverage.
pre-season bowl game
.
Among his honors and awards, Rasmussen was named to Rutgers University’s Wall of Fame in 2002, and in 2001 received the prestigious Order of Achievement from Lambda Chi Alpha
. In 1997 he was inducted into the Connecticut Sports Museum and Hall of Fame. Rasmussen was named to The Sports 100, honoring the 100 most important people in American Sports History. His place in sports history was recognized by Sports Illustrated in 1994 when he was honored as one of the “Forty for the Ages,” one of forty individuals who has significantly altered and elevated the world of sport during the second half of the 20th century.
Rasmussen was honored by the city of Enfield, Connecticut
with a day in his honor on October 9, 2008. He has been a popular guest on the speaking circuit relating his entrepreneurial adventures (including the founding of ESPN) at Bay Path College, Princeton University, the University of Florida, and other college campuses. He is a frequent guest on business and sports radio talk shows to discuss his entrepreneurial career. Rasmussen is also the author of the popular book, “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN.”
A United States Air Force veteran, Rasmussen received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from DePauw University
(Greencastle, Indiana) and his MBA from Rutgers University
.
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Early career
After success in the advertising business, Rasmussen’s career in the media began at WTTT radio in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1962. In 1965, he moved to WWLP-TV, Springfield, where he spent eight years as Sports Director and two years as News Director. In 1974 he left Springfield to join hockey’s New England Whalers as Communications Director. At the conclusion of the 1977-78 World Hockey Association season, Rasmussen was fired by the Whalers. Thus began the pursuit of the ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
dream, incorporating the fledgling network on July 14, 1978. It began broadcasting fourteen months later, at 7 p.m. on September 7, 1979.
ESPN Founder
Rasmussen founded “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” in 1979 with his son, Scott RasmussenScott Rasmussen
Scott W. Rasmussen is the founder and president of Rasmussen Reports. He is an American political analyst, author, speaker, and public opinion pollster...
. He has been called “The Father of Cable Sports” by USA Today (September 1994). Rasmussen launched world’s first 24-hour cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
network, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, where he pioneered such innovations as “SportsCenter,” wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular season and “March Madness” basketball, and NFL draft coverage.
Post ESPN
Rasmussen has served as a consultant to the Big Ten Conference, and several of the conference’s individual member institutions, on television matters. He has also been a consultant with numerous other startup media and internet companies. His internet ventures include serving as Chairman of the Attitude Network, home of the highly successful Happy Puppy and Games Domain sites; and as Chairman of SportsatHome, a sports-themed game site that offered an array of virtual sports stadiums and games to play online within each of the stadiums.College Fanz
Rasmussen’s also introduced College Fanz, an online college sports community. The College Fanz Sports Network was launched on September 7, 2007. It contains over 22,000 web pages devoted to every team at over 1,450 colleges and universities throughout the United States competing in over 225,000 NCAA and NAIA athletic events. Fanz can post videos, photographs, and comment on their favorite teams and schools, participate in contests, and communicate with other fans. College Fanz also sponsors the College Fanz First Down ClassicCollege Fanz First Down Classic
The First Down Classic is the only National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics endorsed Pre-Season bowl game. It began operations in 2007, taking over for the defunct Wheat Bowl that operated from 1995 until 2006...
pre-season bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
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Honors
Rasmussen is active in numerous charity events, including nine years with the highly acclaimed Winged Foot Scholarship Program, and five years with a Senior PGA Tour event, and is a frequent participant in celebrity charity golf events throughout the country.Among his honors and awards, Rasmussen was named to Rutgers University’s Wall of Fame in 2002, and in 2001 received the prestigious Order of Achievement from Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
. In 1997 he was inducted into the Connecticut Sports Museum and Hall of Fame. Rasmussen was named to The Sports 100, honoring the 100 most important people in American Sports History. His place in sports history was recognized by Sports Illustrated in 1994 when he was honored as one of the “Forty for the Ages,” one of forty individuals who has significantly altered and elevated the world of sport during the second half of the 20th century.
Rasmussen was honored by the city of Enfield, Connecticut
Enfield, Connecticut
Enfield is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 45,212 at the 2000 census. It sits on the border with Longmeadow, Massachusetts and East Longmeadow, Massachusetts to the north, Somers to the east, East Windsor and Ellington to the south, and the...
with a day in his honor on October 9, 2008. He has been a popular guest on the speaking circuit relating his entrepreneurial adventures (including the founding of ESPN) at Bay Path College, Princeton University, the University of Florida, and other college campuses. He is a frequent guest on business and sports radio talk shows to discuss his entrepreneurial career. Rasmussen is also the author of the popular book, “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN.”
A United States Air Force veteran, Rasmussen received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
(Greencastle, Indiana) and his MBA from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
.