ESPN celebrated the 44th anniversary of the launch of the network on Thursday, and Connecticut governor Ned Lamont helped cap off the festivities with an official proclamation designating September 7 as ESPN Day.
Lamont joined ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro and network employees at an event at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol to present Pitaro with the decree.
“We’re proud to have a worldwide leader in sports based in Connecticut and wish them many more years of success in our state,” Lamont said.
ESPN launched at 7 p.m. on September 7, 1979. Lee Leonard and George Grande anchored the debut episode of SportsCenter that night. The rest is history.
The network had an unofficial celebration on air Thursday. The 45th year of business was marked with the debut of Pat McAfee and the unveiling of a new SportsCenter studio.
