The 28-year ESPN employee who is one of the most powerful executives in all of sports quietly renewed his agreement with the Walt Disney Co., inking a three-year extension last fall that will keep him presiding over ESPN through most of 2011, according to several sources.

ESPN spokesman Chris LaPlaca confirmed Bodenheimer extended his agreement months ago, but would not elaborate on the terms or details.

It is not a surprise that Bodenheimer signed a deal to remain co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports. The well-liked executive has led ESPN since 1998, during which time the company has experienced exponential growth and has become by far the most profitable division of the Walt Disney Co.

Still, in the months preceding the renewal, there had been rumors that top executives at Disney were looking to promote Bodenheimer to a position that would move him away from day-to-day oversight and into more of a corporate role.

Obviously, those rumors proved to be unfounded, as Bodenheimer signed his new deal in October, coinciding with the end of Disney’s fiscal year.

The story of Bodenheimer’s rise from ESPN’s mail room to its corner office is widely known. Bodenheimer is believed to be happy at ESPN and in no hurry to move up the corporate ladder.

At the Sports Business Awards in New York City late last month, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol said of Bodenheimer, “He is probably in the history of American sports the most powerful man who has ever existed. He sits on an awful lot of power and an awful lot of money, but he does it with great grace.”

Since signing the extension, Bodenheimer directed ESPN to a market-moving $495 million deal to bring the entire BCS to cable for the first time through 2014. He also oversaw a significant deal that gained ESPNU and ESPN360 carriage on Comcast systems.

Bodenheimer was inducted into cable’s Hall of Fame in November.

The news hasn’t been all positive, though. Just last month, ESPN laid off about 100 of its employees, and Bodenheimer said the company would leave an additional 100 open positions unfilled.