ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen dies at 93 from the effects of Parkinson's disease

LAND O' LAKES, Fla. (AP) – Bill Rasmussen, who co-founded TV sports giant ESPN after hatching the idea for the world's first all-sports cable network with his son, died on Tuesday. He was 93. ESPN historian Mike Soltys said Rasmussen died at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson's disease. Rasmussen announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2014. "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.