Western Carolina Athletics and Catamount football today mourn the loss of WCU Athletics Hall of Famer and former football player Joe D’Alessandris (1954-2024) who passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 70. The offensive line coach for the Baltimore Ravens since 2017, the team made the announcement early on Sunday afternoon.

According to a release, D’Alessandris – who has recently taken a leave from the Ravens staff – had been hospitalized over the past two weeks with what the organization described as “an acute illness” that required ongoing treatment for an extended period. The release went on to state that head coach John Harbaugh said D’Alessandris had surgery earlier in the summer and the illness was a complication from that procedure.

D’Alessandris was a four-year letter winner and a three-year starter along the Catamount offensive line for legendary head coach Bob Waters. Affectionately known as “Joe D,” D’Alessandris served as a team captain and earned the team’s Most Valuable Player honor as a senior in 1976. Joe D was a part of WCU’s NCAA Division II playoff team in 1974 that saw the squad win nine consecutive games to make a run into the postseason. WCU is set to recognize the 50th anniversary of that 1974 playoff team as part of its 50-year celebration of Catamount football at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

Originally from Aliquippa, Pa., D’Alessandris was inducted into the Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018, accepting from afar while coaching for the Ravens. True to form, his acceptance speech delivered by video expressed his thanks to Coach Waters, the staff, and the university for his selection for induction. Former coach Don Millwood and Fred Goldsmith both spoke on behalf of D’Alessandris at the mid-November 2018 ceremony.

Beginning on Waters’ staff in Cullowhee, the nearly half a century of serving as a football coach began as a graduate assistant. He spent a combined 33 years coaching at nine different colleges – WCU, Livingston, Memphis, Chattanooga, Samfo rd, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Duke, and Georgia Tech – before being called to the professional ranks. His pro coaching career began in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and included stops in the World League of American Football before the NFL.

Prior to coaching offensive line for the Baltimore Ravens over the past seven seasons, D’Alessandris’ held the same position with the Buffalo Bills (2010-12) and the San Diego Chargers (2013-15). His first gig came with the Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons beginning back in 2008.

D’Alessandris’ wife, Toni, passed away in 2022. On the first anniversary of his wife’s passing, one of the couple’s daughters, Kelly Olsen, gave birth to a baby girl. Joe and Toni were married for 42 years. He is survived by his three daughters, Anna, Kelly, and Emily, and five grandchildren.