“Meet ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen” at Villanova University, Wednesday, February 9, Sponsored by Villanova School of Business, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Department of Communication, and Villanova Athletics
Villanova, PA – February 7, 2011 -- Bill Rasmussen, the legendary entrepreneur who founded ESPN and the author of “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN,” will speak at Villanova University on Wednesday, February 9 at 3 p.m. in Driscoll Hall.
The special event is sponsored by Villanova School of Business, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Department of Communication, and Villanova Athletics.
On September 7, 1979, ESPN went on the air for the first time. Entrepreneurial daring, irrepressible enthusiasm and a dash of good luck gave the world the first 24-hour television network. Once unleashed upon sports fans, ESPN’s impact forever changed the way we watch television. Rasmussen is the man who had the dream, the founder of ESPN.
A life-long entrepreneur and sports fan, Rasmussen’s innovations in advertising, sports and broadcasting are numerous and include the creation of “Sports Center,” wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular-season and “March Madness” college basketball, and coverage of the NFL Draft. He broke the advertising barrier to cable television by signing Anheuser Busch to the largest cable TV advertising contract ever.
Rasmussen’s inside account of how ESPN came to be, “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN” is available at ESPN Founder.com, Amazon.com and at bookstores everywhere.
Named “The Father of Cable Sports” by USA Today, Rasmussen was named to The Sports 100, honoring the 100 most important people in American Sports History. His place in sports history was further recognized by Sports Illustrated in 1994, when he was honored as one of the “Forty for the Ages,” one of 40 individuals who has significantly altered and elevated the world of sport.
On March 30th, Rasmussen will be honored as one of the 2011 class of The Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business, an award from the Sports Business Journal and the Sports Business Daily recognizing the architects and builders of sports, during a special ceremony at the IMG World Congress of Sports in Miami.
A gifted raconteur and a popular public speaker discussing American entrepreneurship, innovation, and the birth of ESPN, Rasmussen is also a frequent guest on radio and television shows, including recent appearances on the nationally-syndicated radio shows “Sports Byline USA with Ron Barr” and “The Dennis Miller Show.” He is a guest on an upcoming episode of the syndicated cable television interview show, “It’s Your Call with Lynn Doyle,” and profiled in an upcoming issue of SUCCESS Magazine as well as an upcoming issue of The Sports Business Journal.
Earlier this month, Rasmussen was the featured guest at a special breakfast and book signing in Philadelphia hosted by the Philadelphia Business Journal and presented by First Financial Group, a member of Mass Mutual, with partners The Sporting News/Comcast Sports Net and 97.5 The Fanatic.
In January, Rasmussen delivered the keynote address at the 2011 Kellogg Marketing Conference at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in suburban Chicago. In October, 2010, Rasmussen delivered the keynote at the 17th annual CEO Forum at the University of Saint Francis (Fort Wayne, Ind.). He also was guest of honor for an “Evening with ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen” at the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce.
Rasmussen delivered the keynote at the 2010 Maastricht Institute of Entrepreneurship at Missouri Valley College (Marshall, Missouri) in April, 2010. In August, 2009, he delivered the keynote at the Centennial Celebration of Lambda Chi Alpha in Indianapolis.
Rasmussen’s recent speaking tour has also included engagements at Bay Path College, Princeton University, Quinnipiac University’s School of Law, the University of Florida School of Law, Azusa Pacific University, Lindenwood University, Saint Xavier University, Indiana Tech, and The Center for Sports Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University, among others.
Rasmussen frequently returns to Bristol, Connecticut for ESPN’s annual anniversary celebrations, and in further recognition of his role as the father of ESPN, Rasmussen threw out the ceremonial first pitch during ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball coverage of the Phillies/Mets contest on September 13, 2009.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Rasmussen received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from DePauw University and his MBA from Rutgers University.
Additional information about Rasmussen, including his upcoming schedule of speaking engagements and information on how to purchase copies of his books, is available at http://www.ESPNFounder.com.
Media Contact:
Jim DeLorenzo
Jim DeLorenzo Public Relations
Phone: 215-564-1122
E-mail: jim@jhdenterprises.com