DePauw Stories

DePauw mourns the loss of Bill Rasmussen ’54, a distinguished alumnus of the university and the co-founder of the groundbreaking sports network ESPN. Rasmussen passed away at his home on August 18 at the age of 93.

Originally from Chicago, Rasmussen came to DePauw as a Rector Scholar and a member of the baseball team. He would later recall his time at DePauw as a season of immense curiosity, stating, “One thing that I learned at DePauw is that you can learn as much as you want or as little as you want. I wanted to know everything about everything.” After graduating with a major in economics and a minor in history, Rasmussen served in the U.S. Air Force and received his MBA from Rutgers University. 

In 1979, Rasmussen co-founded ESPN along with his son Scott, a 1986 graduate of DePauw, and he served as the network’s first president and CEO. Within a few years, ESPN had revolutionized the media landscape as the world’s first 24-hour television network. Rasmussen wrote a book about his experience, titled “Sports Junkies Rejoice: The Birth of ESPN,” and in 2025 he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

In November of 2017, Rasmussen delivered an address in Kresge Auditorium as part of the university’s Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture Series. Additionally, Rasmussen served his alma mater as an executive in residence at the Robert C. McDermond Center for Management and Entrepreneurship, he received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for Media, and he was inducted into the Media Wall of Fame at the Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media.

“Bill was a tremendous representative of DePauw,” said Rasmussen’s long-time friend and professional colleague Bill Wagner, assistant athletics director for athletics communications. “His entrepreneurial spirit and vision made the world better. His positive attitude was unmatched and lifted everyone around him. I will miss his friendship. We lost a true legend and pioneer.”

Additional reflections about Rasmussen’s life and legacy are available from ESPN, The Athletic, The Hollywood Reporter and many more media outlets.