A teacher of fundamentals: Joe D'Alessandris returns home for another Ravens-Steelers matchup

For much of his life, the man who coaches the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive line has affectionately and respectfully been known as “Joe D.”

That man would be Joe D’Alessandris.

He’ll be on the sideline Sunday at Acrisure Stadium when the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers renew one of the most intense rivalries in all of sport.

Now 68, D’Alessandris is a Beaver County native who attended St. Titus Catholic Grade School and Aliquippa junior high before graduating from Center High School in 1972.

In those days, he was called “Joe Joe.”

But after his senior season at Center when he earned first-team all-conference honors as an offensive and defensive tackle, D’Alessandris moved on to Western Carolina University. That’s basically when his nickname changed.

During his all-star career as a Western Carolina guard, his coaches and teammates started calling him “Joe D.”

That’s what his bio said upon induction into the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018: “Affectionately known as “Joe D.” … served as a team captain and received team MVP honors as a senior in 1976.”

By any name, D’Alessandris has been coaching offensive lineman for a very long time and doing so at a very high level.

Yes, he has been quite the journeyman for much of his 47-year career. During his first 33 years, he coached at eight colleges, including Pitt in 1996. He coached in the Canadian Football League (twice) and the former World League of American Football.

In 2008, he landed his first job as an NFL assistant and has been in the league ever since.

Two years, Kansas City Chiefs.

Three years, Buffalo Bills.

Three years, San Diego Chargers (who have since relocated to Los Angeles).

For the past six seasons, he’s worked for the Ravens, which, in a lot of ways, has been his ultimate dream job.

“It’s been great,” he said. “Working for (head coach) John Harbaugh has been fantastic.”

The Ravens feel the same way about D’Alessandris.

“Joe D. is a grinder,” former Ravens all-star guard Marshal Yanda told a newspaper reporter in 2019. “He works hard every single day. He was an offensive lineman growing up and played college football as an offensive lineman, so he has the grinder mentality. Work hard and bring your lunch pail to work. That’s definitely carried over in our group.”

“Joe is old school,” Harbaugh once said of D’Alessandris. “He teaches techniques the way that they’ve been taught for a long time, proven stuff, and he does it the right way. He’s a great football coach.”

Since joining the Ravens in 2017, D’Alessandris has been part of teams that have gone 9-7, 10-7, 14-3, 12-6 and 8-9.

So far this season, the Ravens are 8-4 and tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for first place in the AFC North Division.

“We’ve had some really good games,” D’Alessandris said. “We’ve played well at times. Sometimes there are things we lack or make mistakes here or there. But the resiliency of the team has been great.”

On Sunday against the 5-7 Steelers, the Ravens will try to win with star quarterback Lamar Jackson sidelined with a knee injury. He’ll be replaced by backup QB Tyler Huntley.

It’s been D’Alessandris’ job this week to get his offensive line ready for a Steelers’ defense that includes defensive tackle Cam Heyward and outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

“The Steelers’ defensive front has always been a good test for us ever since I got here, and I’m sure long before I got here,” D’Alessandris said. “They replenish and reload just like we do.

“This is a rivalry against the Steelers that started long before I got here and it will continue long after I leave. It’s always a big game. It’s a game in our division. I know we respect each other. Both teams look forward to the challenge we present to each other.”

When asked about some of the people who’ve influenced his career, D’Alessandris immediately mentioned Albert DeFilippi, his Little League baseball coach in Aliquippa.

“He’s one of the best coaches I ever had in my life,” he said. “What a teacher. You talk about a coach who taught you the drills and the fundamentals. So, when I look back at my body of work, I saw the fundamentals and techniques that Albert taught in baseball, and I knew that would be a way for me to be successful.

“As a coach, I pride myself on being a teacher of fundamentals, technique and assignment," added D'Alessandris, who was inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. "I have to be that way. The position I coach is a highly skilled craft position.”

Other men who’ve influenced D’Alessandris include former Aliquippa coach Don Yannessa, who was his junior high coach, and former Center head coach Tom Alexander.

D’Alessandris got into coaching right after finishing his college career at Western Carolina. That’s when Catamounts coach Bob Waters invited him to join his staff as a graduate assistant.

The rest is history.

That start as a G.A. led him to where he’s at now in Baltimore.

And beside the football part of being with the Ravens, D’Alessandris appreciates the love the Ravens have shown him off the field.

When D’Alessandris arrived in Baltimore six years ago, his wife Toni had already been diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy.

It’s a rare, devastating condition that shares similarities with Parkinson's Disease. MSA affects the ability of nerve cells to communicate with the rest of the body and the voluntary nervous system functions that control movement. The condition only affects approximately four out of every 100,000 people.

Over the years, Toni D’Alessandris received treatment at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital, which is widely regarded as one of the world's most prestigious medical institutions.

Sadly, in May, Toni D’Alessandris passed away, just a month shy of the couple’s 43rd wedding anniversary.

“Joe D.” and Toni first met when they were sophomores in college in sociology class.

“I can’t tell you what this organization has meant to me … John Harbaugh, (general manager) Eric DeCosta, the whole organization,” D’Alessandris said.

“For several years as our family dealt with my wife’s condition, (the Ravens) worked with me to make sure things were OK. You know, when you’re in tough times, you really find out things and learn about people, and the Ravens have been absolutely fabulous to me and my family in the most trying times of my life.

“I got hired here in Baltimore and sometimes you wonder, ‘Why are you here?’ Then the big picture settles in. I grew up Catholic, and I believe in the good Lord. He puts you in places for a reason. There’s no doubt the reason he put us in Baltimore was because we had John Hopkins right there in our backyard.”

D’Alessandris added that “I was blessed for 43 years to have an absolutely wonderful wife who traveled with me throughout my career.”

“Joe D.” and Toni have three daughters and four grandchildren. A fifth grandchild is due in May.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: A teacher of fundamentals: Joe D'Alessandris returns home for another Ravens-Steelers matchup