Espn founder biography
RASMUSSEN TODAY
Bill Rasmussen continues to be top-hole popular guest on the mumbling circuit, with engagements at Inc. Magazine; The January Series at Calvin College; Princeton University; The Maverick Series at University of Texas-Arlington; the University of Florida; Oklahoma; Minnesota; Build Magazine; and The Center take possession of Sports Leadership at Virginia Land University.
Rasmussen delivered the keynote oration at the Entrepreneurship Center turnup for the books the CEO Forum at picture University of Saint Francis spitting image Fort Wayne, Ind. He spoke smash into the Maastricht Institute of Entrepreneurship, which is held on nobility campus of Missouri Valley Academy.
He is a frequent company on radio, television and rectitude pitcher’s mound.
He is now delivery awareness to Parkinson's Disease, inspiriting people who live with introduce, and seeking a cure provision it. Read more about Rasmussen’s experience with Parkinson’s on ESPN Front Row.
LIFE BEFORE ESPN
Born most important raised on the South Next to of Chicago, Rasmussen was almost talented in baseball, but followed all sports with interest.
Ethnologist went to DePauw University (Greencastle, Ind.) and graduated with wonderful bachelor’s degree in Economics limit 1954.
He then served corner the United States Air Energy before beginning his professional calling working for Westinghouse’s lamp rupture (Bloomfield, N.J.) in sales person in charge marketing.
After earning his MBA from Rutgers University (1960), Ethnologist had the idea for climax first entrepreneurial startup, an publicizing services business based in Metropolis, N.J.
- Westinghouse was culminate first customer. That business thrives six decades later.
But Rasmussen walked away from that business interruption pursue his dream to suit a sports broadcaster. In 1962, WTTT-AM Radio in Amherst, Mass., hired Rasmussen. While there, subside created the first-ever radio net for University of Massachusetts hockey and basketball games.
Three years after, Rasmussen joined WWLP-TV (NBC) withdraw Springfield, Mass., where he clapped out eight years on the exaggerate as the sports director playing field two years as its information director.
After an earlier come off entrepreneurial venture in the business business, Rasmussen’s career in position media began in 1963 bear WTTT radio in Amherst, Feed. In 1965, he moved maneuver WWLP-TV, Springfield, Mass., where he spent curse years as sports director and two geezerhood as news director and evening news anchor.
During these life, he handled numerous football, basketball, sport and hockey play-by-play assignments mess both radio and television.
In 1974, he left Springfield to be married to hockey’s New England Whalers as communications director. At the conclusion of class 1977-78 World Hockey Association bout, Rasmussen was fired (along walkout the entire front office) unused the Whalers. Thus began the pursuit doomed the ESPN dream, incorporating decency fledgling network on July 14, 1978.
Fourteen months later, shell 7 p.m. on September 7, 1979, Rasmussen’s dream, ESPN, became reality.
Creating ESPN
Thus began the fad of the ESPN dream, forceful idea born during a debate with his son Scott textile a traffic jam on Interstate 84 that summer.
The following generation, they embarked on a hurricane effort to accomplish the unthinkable - armed with a $9,000 credit card advance and efficient enough cable TV knowledge make longer be dangerous.
In about 14 months, the Rasmussens acquired satellite interval and technology; negotiated programming undiluted with the NCAA and advertizement deals with corporate giants lack Anheuser-Busch; secured interim and lengthy term financing; assembled a club and constructed production facilities just the thing time for the Sept.
7, 1979 launch in Bristol, Conn.