Joe Koff

❧

Wikipedia

Joe Koff
Born
Joseph Koff

(1951-02-20)February 20, 1951
United States
DiedOctober 15, 2024(2024-10-15) (aged 73)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation
  • Wrestler
Years active1980–2022

Joseph Koff (February 20, 1951 – October 15, 2024)[1] was an American professional wrestling personality. He is best known for his role with the promotion Ring of Honor, where he worked as chief operating officer.[2]

Life and career

Koff began to work in television in 1980 after departing the general manager job at KRUX radio in Phoenix for a sales position at KTVK.[3] Despite the promotion offering a full-time job, he decided to stay in television. He worked as a general sales manager at WFLX in West Palm Beach, Florida, until 1989[4] and general manager at several stations owned by ABRY Communications: WNUV in Baltimore (1989–1995), WSTR-TV in Cincinnati (1995[5]–1996[6]), and WXLV-TV in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He also served as president and COO of Muzak in the early 2000s.[7]

In 2003 he began to work with Sinclair Broadcast Group, where he became the senior vice president of training and development. He suggested Sinclair enter pro wrestling and proposed Ring of Honor. Koff was familiar with wrestling: he was the television distributor for Championship Wrestling from Florida's Battle of the Belts specials.[8] On May 21, 2011, Sinclair purchased the professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor, and ROH's programming began airing on September 24, 2011.[9] Koff worked for Ring of Honor as chief operating officer until May 2022, after ROH was sold to Tony Khan.[10] Cary Silkin, who sold Ring of Honor to Sinclair, credited Koff with keeping ROH alive on multiple occasions during Sinclair's ownership of the promotion.[11]

Koff died from cancer on October 15, 2024, at the age of 73.[1][12][13] After his death, Tony Khan paid tribute to him during the Ring of Honor tapings.[14] Sinclair won a television station permit in Syracuse, New York, in 2022. The station, which signed on in July 2025 as WKOF, received its call sign in Koff's memory.[15][16][17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Joseph Koff Obituary - Pikesville, MD". Sol Levinson & Bros. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  2. ↑ Johnson, Mike. "Former Ring of Honor chief operating officer Joe Koff passes away". PWInsider. Archived from the original on 23 October 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  3. ↑ Wilkinson, Bud (September 30, 1980). "Sports anchor, reporter leave KPNX-TV for NBC affiliates". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. B15. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ LoMartire, Paul (April 12, 1989). "Prepare for the grand finale: Knievel's daring jump; is this the end for Sonny Grockett?". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. pp. 1D, 7D. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Paeth, Greg (August 10, 1995). "WSTR general manager leaves station for church". The Cincinnati Post. Cincinnati, Ohio. p. 5B. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Kiesewetter, John (March 11, 1996). "Channel 64 news". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. p. C3. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Pettibon, Sula (January 31, 2001). "Muzak growing by leaps and bounds". The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. p. 4D. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Vaugh (February 19, 2015). "Ring of Honor, COO Joe Koff ready to celebrate 13 years in business". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  9. ↑ Caldwell, James (June 14, 2011). "ROH News: Full ROH press conference Friday – start date for new TV show, Internet PPV news & notes (w/Video)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  10. ↑ Thompson, Andrew (September 12, 2024). "Former ROH COO Joe Koff reflects on 2018 ALL IN: They could never, ever, ever have done it without Ring of Honor". PostWrestling. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Mike (October 15, 2024). "Cary Silkin: 'People will never know' how Joe Koff kept Ring of Honor alive between 2012-2022". PWInsider.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  12. ↑ Radican, Sean (October 15, 2024). "Former ROH COO Joe Koff dead after battle with cancer". PWTorch. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Joe Koff, Sinclair executive who brought the 'Ring of Honor' to countless homes, dies". Baltimore Sun. October 17, 2024.
  14. ↑ Thomas, Jeremy (October 18, 2024). "Tony Khan Pays Tribute To Joe Koff Before ROH Taping". 411Mania. Archived from the original on 8 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  15. ↑ "Full Power Television Auction ID 112: Winning Bids" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 23, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 8, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  16. ↑ "#275772 Modification of a License for DTV Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. July 29, 2025. Archived from the original on July 30, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  17. ↑ Herbert, Geoff (December 1, 2025). "Can't watch CBS? Syracuse TV station disrupted by change in channel position". The Post-Standard. Retrieved December 2, 2025.