Joseph Hand Sr. (September 10, 1936 – August 1, 2024) was an American businessman and media executive from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He was the chairman of Joe Hand Promotions, Inc., a promoter of Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit broadcasts of sporting events, which he founded in 1971.

Early life and career

Hand was born in 1936 and raised in the Lawncrest district of

. He joined the

Philadelphia Police Department The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD, Philly PD, or Philly Police) is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the County and City of Philadelphia. The PPD is one of the oldest municipal police agencies, f ...

in 1959, eventually being promoted to Detective in the department's Intelligence Unit. In 1975, he suffered a serious heart attack which required him to leave the police force. Instead he focused on his business interests, which had begun in 1967 when he became a charter shareholder of Cloverlay Corporation, sponsoring

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...

Joe Hand Promotions

In 1971, Hand formed his own company specializing in sports promotions, Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. The company went on to become a large TV distributor of

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...

boxing,

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

and other events, airing in thousands of establishments around the United States, such as sports bars, restaurants, military bases, universities, cruise ships and oil rigs. The company has been involved in many major boxing championship fights, concerts, wrestling events, and other sporting occasions. ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' wrote that "If a bar televises a big fight, it likely has to purchase it from Mr. Hand's company". In January 2021, the company began offering a commercial subscription of

ESPN Plus ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communication ...

for Business which delivers limited live sports content via

DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...

to commercial establishments. Hand remained chairman of the company and continued to work at its office in

Feasterville, Pennsylvania Feasterville is a census-designated place located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community was part of Feasterville-Trevose, which was split into two separate CDPs, the other being Trevose. As of the 2010 census, the popula ...

, until days before his death in 2024.

Joe Hand Boxing Gym

In 1995, Hand opened the Joe Hand Boxing Gym for children. The gym has boxing rings and equipment, but also a computer center for other educational activities.

Personal life and death

Hand married Margaret Joyce on June 29, 1957; she also worked as a police officer. They had two children, and were married until her death on June 27, 2023. Hand died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on August 1, 2024, at the age of 87.

Awards and recognition

Pennsylvania Sports Hall Of Fame The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (PSHF) is a nonprofit organization established in 1962.Home page
Pennsylvania Sports Hall o ...

(1992) *

World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded ...

"Closed Circuit Promoter of the Year" (1996) * "Man of the Year" in the King One Veterans Boxers Association(1999) *

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...

Hall of Fame (2000) * Advisory Board, National Penn Bank (2000) * Middle Atlantic Amateur Boxing Association's Hall of Fame (2001) * Philadelphia Sports Congress "Wanamaker Award" (2002) *

Northeast Catholic High School Northeast Catholic High School opened in 1926 as Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, and was located at 1842 East Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catho ...

's Alumni Hall of Fame (2005) * Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame (2012) * Pennsylvania Sports Experience, Board of Trustees (2012) *

Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame The Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was established in May 2002 to honor individuals and groups who are either area natives who became prominent in the field of sports or who became ...

(2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hand Sr., Joe 1936 births 2024 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople American chief executives in the mass media industry Businesspeople from Philadelphia Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania Philadelphia Police Department officers