Sad news to pass along as former Baltimore Ravens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris passed away at the age of 70 following an illness. D’Alessandris left the team during training camp due to the illness, and the team announced his passing today.
D’Alessandris had been with the Ravens since the 2017 season. Born in Aliquippa, Pa., he started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Western Carolina in 1977 following his graduation from the school. After a lengthy collegiate coaching career and stops in the CFL, D’Alessandris broke into the NFL in 2008 as an assistant offensive line coach with the Kansas City Chiefs, a role he held in 2008 and 2009. He also served as the offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills from 2010-2012 and the then-San Diego Chargers from 2013-2015. He also served as the offensive line coach at Pitt during the 1996 season.
At Western Carolina, D’Alessandris was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter along the offensive line. He was inducted into the Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017 and he’s also a member of the Beaver County (Pa.) Sports Hall of Fame.
The Ravens organization, along with team president Sashi Brown, head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta, issued statements on D’Alessandris’ passing.
D’Alessandris was hospitalized due to an illness and the team announced on Aug. 14 that he would be away from the team for an extended period of time. In his place, they hired George Warhop to serve as their offensive line coach.
The Steelers went through a similar situation in 2017 when wide receivers coach Daryl Drake passed away during training camp. The team hired Ray Sherman in his place. Warhop has over 40 years of coaching experience, most recently serving as the offensive line coach for the Houston Texans in 2022.
D’Alessandris is survived by his three daughters and five grandchildren.
