The Ravens hired Joe D'Alessandris as their offensive line coach Thursday, filling the vacancy after the departure of Juan Castillo to the Buffalo Bills.
D'Alessandris enters his 40th season of coaching, including his ninth in the NFL, with the 2017 campaign marking his 38th-overall season guiding an offensive line.
"We had a number of very good, qualified candidates for this position, and we have the right fit with Joe," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "He's a hard-nosed, experienced coach, who is an excellent teacher. He'll be able to work with our veterans to get the best out of them, and he'll take our young linemen to higher levels."
D'Alessandris worked at nine different universities, the Canadian Football League and World League (later NFL Europe), before connecting with lauded NFL coach Chan Gailey, who he followed to the Kansas City Chiefs (2008-2009) and Buffalo Bills (2010). D'Alessandris last worked for the San Diego Chargers (2013-2015).
"I feel very privileged and honored to come work with such a tremendous organization," D'Alessandris said. "I very much look forward to the great opportunity of working for John Harbaugh and [General Manager] Ozzie Newsome on an incredible staff."
In his first year with the Chargers in 2013, D'Alesandris steered an injury-riddled offensive line that had 17 different starting combinations yet gave up just 30 sacks during the regular season, tied for the fourth-fewest in the league. The Chargers advanced to the divisional playoffs that season.
During his three years with San Diego, D'Alessandris was part of an offensive attack that produced the NFL's seventh-most yards per game (368.9).
In his second year in the NFL, D'Alessandris' helped guard Brian Waters reach his first-career Pro Bowl, and running back Jamaal Charles had his first 1,000-yard rushing season.
Coaching for Buffalo in 2011, D'Alessandris' Bills allowed an NFL-low 23 sacks, a figure that marks the third-fewest in team history during a 16-game season.
Hailing from Aliquippa, Penn., not far from Pittsburgh, D'Alesandris spent his youth and college summers around the steel mills. In 2010, he was inducted into the Beaver County (Pa.) Sports Hall of Fame and the Center High School Hall of Fame.
He was a three-year starting guard at Western Carolina, where he was voted a team captain and MVP his senior season. D'Alessandris graduated in 1977 and went on to earn a master's degree from WCU two years later. He immediately broke into coaching after his playing career was over.
His first full-time coaching job was with Livingston Unversity, and he first made contact with them on his wedding day in 1979. D'Alessandris and his wife, Toni, have three children: Kelly, Emily and Anna.
The Ravens still have two possible coaching vacancies to fill: secondary coach and quarterbacks coach. They could promote from within at secondary coach with Chris Hewitt and Chris Horton as options. They have not always employed a quarterbacks coach, as Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will be the primary voice to Joe Flacco.
