(DailyChive.com) – Legendary offensive line football coach Joe D’Alessandris, whose career spanned almost five decades and four different teams, died at the age of 70.
On Sunday, Aug. 25, the Baltimore Ravens announced that D’Alessandris died following a sudden hospitalization earlier this month. D’Alessamdris stepped away from coaching duties as the Raven’s offensive line coach after coming down with a sudden unspecified illness.
In a statement published on Aug. 14, the Ravens only said that D’Alessandris was hospitalized for “an acute illness” requiring “ongoing treatment for an extended period of time.” Head Coach of the Ravens, John Harbaugh, said that D’Alessandris was “widely respected and cherished” in the organization and the team was offering him support while he focused on his health.
According to Harbaugh, D’Alessandris underwent surgery earlier in the summer and there were complications with the procedure, resulting in his return to the hospital and most likely his subsequent demise. The team, which referred to D’Alessandris collectively as “Joe D,” said their “hearts ache with grief and sadness” from the news of the coach’s death on Sunday morning and that he lived a life full of “faith, love, devotion, and inspiration.”
D’Alessandris was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, on April 29, 1954. Before making it to the NFL, he started his coaching career in 1977 and coached in the World League, the CFL, and at different colleges: Memphis University, Livingston University, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Texas A&M, Duke, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, and Samford.
While in the NFL, he worked under the Chiefs, the Bills, and the Chargers as an assistant before the Ravens hired him to coach linemen under Harbaugh. For the Kansas City Chiefs, he worked as an assistant offensive line coach; for the San Diego Chargers and the Buffalo Bills, he was an offensive line coach.
Harbaugh described the Ravens offensive line coach as “a man of integrity” and “faith” who made the franchise better. The head coach said D’Alessandris was also the “reader at team mass,” further indicating his strong faith. He was a father, husband, and friend. D’Alessandris leaves behind a wife and three daughters as well as multiple grandchildren.
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