Baltimore Ravens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris dies at 70
Joe D’Alessandris, whose nearly half-century as an offensive linemen coach ultimately took him to four different NFL teams, has died. He was 70.
The Ravens, where Alessandris had been coach since 2017, announced Sunday that he had died. He was hospitalized earlier this month with an unspecified acute illness that forced him to relinquish his duties as the team’s offensive line coach. The Ravens hired George Warhop as their offensive line coach on Aug. 14, when they announced D’Alessandris’s extended absence.
Head coach John Harbaugh said at the time that D’Alessandris had undergone surgery earlier this summer and experienced complications.
“Our hearts are filled with sadness and sorrow as we learned early this morning that Coach Joe D’Alessandris passed away,” the team said in a statement. “‘Joe D.’ lived a life of boundless faith, love, dedication and inspiration. As a husband, father, grandfather, friend and coach, Joe made everyone he met truly feel like they were the most important person in the world.”
Born in 1954 in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, D’Alessandris coached in the CFL and World League — and at several colleges — before reaching the NFL ranks. He was an assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers before settling with the Ravens under Harbaugh.
“Coach ‘Joe D.’ was a man of integrity and a man of faith. He made all of us better,” Harbaugh said. “He was our announcer for Team Mass, and he was loved by everyone here. He was a great coach and a good man – the kind of person you want to have as a friend. He raised three incredible, beautiful daughters, and he was a very loving husband. His grandchildren adored him as well. I admired him, loved him and will miss him because ‘Joe D.’ was a joy.”
D’Alessandris played at Western Carolina and began his coaching career there in 1977 as an assistant coach. Other college coaching stints include Livingston University, Memphis, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Samford, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Duke and Georgia Tech.
The Ravens will play the 2024 season opener against the Chiefs on September 5.