Ravens HC John Harbaugh pours out his heart at passing of OL coach Joe D'Alessandris
Baltimore Ravens offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris passed away on Sunday at the age of 70 because of an unspecified illness, having taken medical leave just over a week ago. He had held the position since 2017 and was instrumental in the team's two most successful seasons since their last Super Bowl run.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh issued this statement per the Ravens' official website:
"Coach 'Joe D.' was a man of integrity and a man of faith. He made us all better. 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. I admired him, loved him and am going to miss him, because 'Joe D.' was a joy. May God bless 'Joe D.' forever."
Former quarterback Robert Griffin III, who spent the last three seasons of his career with the Ravens, also reacted:
Joe D'Alessandris is expected to be succeeded by erstwhile stand-in George Warhop, a league veteran who last coached for the Houston Texans in 2022.
Who was Joe D'Alessandris? A brief profile of former Ravens OL coach's career
Born on April 29, 1954, Joe D'Alessandris began his coaching tenure young, initially serving as a graduate assistant at Western Carolina. Over the ensuing thirty years, he would hold various offensive line coaching positions at various schools and professional teams, before finally arriving in the NFL in 2008 as a positional assistant at the Kansas City Chiefs.
After two seasons at Arrowhead, he moved on to the Buffalo Bills in 2010. He lasted until the end of the 2012 season, after which the then-San Diego Chargers hired him. He made his first playoff appearance in 2013, handling an offensive line that helped one-time Pro Bowler Ryan Mathews rush for a career-high 1,255 yards. He was dismissed in 2015.
In 2017, after a one-year sabbatical, Joe D'Alessandris joined the Baltimore Ravens. Two years later, he became a key part of their franchise-best 14-2 record, coaching the likes of Pro Bowlers Marshal Yanda, Orlando Brown Jr., and Ronnie Stanley as they paved the way for Lamar Jackson's monstrous MVP-winning 1,206 rushing yards - still a single-season record for a quarterback.
Jackson also won MVP in 2023, D'Alessandris's last season as coach. The offensive line that year, which boasted the likes of Stanley and new Pro Bowlers Kevin Zeitler and Tyler Linderbaum, helped Jackson attain career-highs in completions (307) and passing yards (3,678). He also rushed for 821 yards.