Ravens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, a longtime NFL assistant whose tough-love approach made him one of the team’s most important and revered staffers, died Sunday morning, the team announced. He was 70.
D’Alessandris was hospitalized two weeks ago for an undisclosed acute illness, the team said Aug. 14. He was expected to require treatment “for an extended period of time” after experiencing complications from offseason surgery. Coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday that D’Alessandris’ daughters had reported he was making “good progress.”
D’Alessandris had coached the Ravens’ offensive line since 2017, helping lead the development of Pro Bowl linemen such as Tyler Linderbaum, Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr., along with unheralded players such as Bradley Bozeman and Ben Powers. Under D’Alessandris, the Ravens had top-10 pass-blocking and run-blocking win rates each of the past four years, according to ESPN. They finished last season with Pro Football Focus’ fifth-highest-rated offensive line.
“Our hearts ache with grief and sadness upon learning of Coach Joe D’Alessandris’ passing early this morning,” the team said in a statement. “’Joe D.’ lived a life of boundless faith, love, devotion and inspiration. As a husband, father, grandfather, friend and coach, Joe made every individual he encountered truly feel like they were the most important person in the world.
“Anyone fortunate enough to have spent time with Joe was forever touched by his genuine and uplifting nature. He had the amazingly rare ability to connect with people in a way that deepened respect, empathy and kindness — further spreading those important virtues into the everyday life of the world.
“’Force multiplier’ is a football term sometimes used to describe an individual who makes everyone around him better. As a coach, he was certainly that. But far more importantly, it’s also a proper characterization of Joe D’Alessandris as a person — someone who undoubtedly created a legacy of love and impact that will live on forever.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Joe’s family — particularly his three incredible daughters — during this somber time. Now reunited with his late and precious wife, Toni, we know they are smiling down from above and blessing everyone they dearly love.”
Harbaugh, who leaned on D’Alessandris as a spiritual leader in the locker room and as a game planner, said in a statement that he was “a man of integrity and a man of faith. He made us all better. He was our reader at team mass, and he was loved by all here. He was a great coach and a good man — the kind of person who you are honored to have as a friend. He raised three incredible, beautiful daughters, and he was a most loving husband. His grandkids also adored him. I admired him, loved him and am going to miss him, because ‘Joe D.’ was a joy.”
General manager Eric DeCosta called Sunday “a sad day for the Baltimore Ravens.”
“‘Joe D.’ was a rock, a great coach and a better person. He cared about the team deeply, exhibiting a relentless passion to excel while displaying genuine love for his players. I especially treasure my conversations with him, talking about football and life. I will always remember standing back with Joe on the practice field and watching him up close with his players. Coach was the consummate teacher and friend, and I will miss him deeply. Our thoughts and prayers go to Joe’s daughters and family and everyone touched by Joe’s remarkable spirit.”
A native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, D’Alessandris started his coaching career at Western Carolina, his alma mater, in 1977. In 1979, he took his first offensive line coaching position, at Division II Livingston. He went on to coach at Memphis, Chattanooga, Samford, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Duke and Georgia Tech, along with several jobs in professional leagues.
He was hired by the Kansas City Chiefs as an assistant offensive line coach in 2008, then became the Buffalo Bills’ offensive line coach two years later. He served as the Chargers’ offensive line coach from 2013 to 2015 before joining the Ravens’ staff in 2017.
Social media tributes to D’Alessandris poured in Sunday from current and former Ravens.
Fullback Patrick Ricard said on Instagram that “the world lost a great man.”
Rookie center Nick Samac said he was “forever grateful for you coach.”
Wide receiver Nelson Agholor called D’Alessandris a “great man who made a football team better and made people better.”
Inside linebacker Patrick Queen, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, said he was a “great coach [and] even better person.”
Free-agent outside linebacker Tyus Bowser said D’Alessandris “always checked on me and kept me motivated and encouraged.”
D’Alessandris balanced a no-nonsense approach to the game — “I expect offensive line play to be played a certain way, and that’s in my vision [of] how I see it’s supposed to be played,” he said last summer — with a tender heart.
Asked in June about guard Andrew Vorhees, he praised the second-year lineman and then the unit a whole: “Here’s what I’m going to tell you: First of all, that group of young men I have in there — we have 16 of them — they are fantastic young men. They work hard, they come out on a mission every day to get better, they work at their craft, they work at their skill, and you see improvement by all of them.”
After losing three starters this offseason, the Ravens entrusted D’Alessandris with solidifying their offensive line again this summer. Linderbaum joked last month that the rebuild would take “however long Coach Harbaugh and Coach D. says it takes.”
Now the Ravens will have to move forward without D’Alessandris. George Warhop has served as the team’s interim offensive line coach since D’Alessandris went on medical leave, and Travelle Wharton is assistant offensive line coach.
D’Alessandris is survived by three daughters — Anna Thomas, Kelly Olsen and Emily D’Alessandris — and five grandchildren. His wife, Toni, died in 2022 from a rare form of Parkinson’s disease.
