Joe Roland, The First King of the East Coast, Bows Out at 73

Joe Roland, the first champion of the East Coast Surfing Association, washed up on Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Thursday morning, his board still strapped to his ankle. He was 73.

Beachgoers spotted him early, tried CPR, but it was too late. Paramedics arrived, but he was already gone. St. Johns County Fire Rescue confirmed he’d been surfing alone, with the cause of death still unknown. 

Joe Roland was East Coast royalty. By 17, he’d become the first men’s champion of the East Coast Surfing Association, cementing his spot in the East Coast Legends Hall of Fame. From there, he hit the road, traveling to Puerto Rico and Australia to compete in the fledgling era of international surf comps. But when the 60s ended, Joe got a job and left the contest scene behind. 

He was a computer programmer by trade, a musician by passion, and the kind of guy who’d take a three-foot mahogany trophy and turn it into a skateboard — a quiet rebellion against recognition. 

Joe lived his faith, playing in worship bands and recording music for the cause in his home studio. “When it came to his faith, he walked the walk. Joe was the real deal,” said Mitch Kauffman, a staple of the Ponte Vedra surf scene.  

For Joe, life boiled down to three things: god, family, and surfing. Mickey Ross, his friend and pastor, summed him up: “Joe never met anyone he didn’t show love to. He never had a bad word for anybody.”

For decades, Joe surfed the same stretch of Ponte Vedra. “He surfed like a teenager, on a board shorter than he was — even into his seventies,” Mitch Kauffman remembers.

A paddle-out to honour Joe’s life is being planned, set for when the family is ready.