Charles Ergen received the BS in general business and accounting from UT in 1975 and then the MBA from the Babcock Graduate School of Management in 1976. In 1980 he and gambling buddy Jim DeFranco (both were considered professional gamblers at the time) were ejected from all casinos in Las Vegas after being accused of counting cards at blackjack. They decided to enter the new business of satellite television. They, and Ergen’s future wife Cantey, pooled their savings of $60,000 and started their company, which they originally called Echosphere but then changed to Echostar. The company launched its first satellite in 1995, making possible the DISH Network enterprise.
In 1988 Ergen received the Star Award of the Home Satellite TV Association. In June 1991 INC magazine named him Master Entrepreneur of the Year for the Rocky Mountain area. In 2000 Aviation Week named him the Space Industry Business Man of the Year, and in 2001 he was the Frost & Sullivan CEO of the Year for the Satellite Industry.
Ergen often starred in his own TV show, Charlie Chat, which consisted of infomercials and calls from DISH Network subscribers. His employees call him Elvis (behind his back) to describe his knack for swaying his audience to his way of thinking.