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Joe Avezzano, Long Time Cowboys Special Teams Coach, Passed Away Thursday

The assistant coach became a fan favorite and local celebrity in a career that lasted over a decade in Dallas.

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In tragic news, Joe Avezzano, the long-time special teams coach of the Dallas Cowboys, passed away Thursday morning at the age of 68.

Avezzano was coaching the Milan Seamen of the Italian Football League. The earliest reports indicate that he had a heart attack while working out on a treadmill:

He became a local celebrity in Dallas in his time with the Cowboys, where he served as the special teams coach from 1990-2002. His sense of humor made him a fan and media favorite, helping him survive four different coaching changes.

Bill Parcells let him go when he took over in 2002, but Avezzano stayed in the Dallas area, becoming the head coach of the Arena Football League's Dallas Desperados, who were also owned by Jerry Jones.

A center at Florida State in the 1960's, the Yonkers native got into coaching almost as immediately after his playing days were over, slowly moving up the ranks before taking over as the Oregon State head coach in the 1980's and them moving on the Cowboys with Jimmy Johnson in 1990.

For more on this story, stay tuned to the SB Nation Dallas storystream as well as Blogging The Boys.

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.