Tony Reno, the longtime Yale football coach who stepped away from the program earlier this year because of health problems, has died.
He was 52.
Yale Athletics announced Reno’s death Friday, remembering the coach as one of the most accomplished and influential leaders in the history of the Bulldogs football program.
His death comes less than eight months after Reno announced that he was stepping down as Yale’s head coach because of his health.
Reno had initially taken a medical leave of absence in December 2025. On Feb. 17, he formally resigned from the position, saying at the time that his “current health situation” made it necessary for him to leave the program.
Neither Yale nor Reno’s family publicly disclosed the specific nature of his illness.
Yale Director of Athletics Victoria Chun said the school was devastated by his death.
“Tony Reno devoted his life to serving others and approached every day with humility, compassion, and purpose,” Chun said.
She said Reno’s achievements on the football field were remarkable, but that the relationships he built with players, coaches and friends would ultimately define his legacy.
Reno’s impact on Yale football was substantial.
He was named the Bulldogs’ head coach in January 2012 and spent 14 seasons leading the program.
During that run, Reno compiled an 83-49 record, giving him the second-most victories by a head coach in Yale football history. Only legendary coach Carm Cozza won more games for the Bulldogs.
Reno also guided Yale to five Ivy League championships, capturing conference titles in 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025.
His final season proved to be one of the most memorable in school history.
Yale won the 2025 Ivy League championship and earned the conference’s first automatic berth in the NCAA FCS playoffs.
The Bulldogs then pulled off a dramatic 43-42 comeback victory against Youngstown State in the opening round after overcoming a massive halftime deficit.
It marked Yale’s first FCS playoff victory.
The Bulldogs eventually fell to Montana State in the second round and finished the season with a 9-3 record and a No. 13 national ranking.
Reno’s success extended beyond championships.
He won seven of his final nine games against longtime rival Harvard and was named Ivy League Coach of the Year during his tenure.
Before becoming Yale’s head coach, Reno spent six seasons as an assistant with the Bulldogs from 2003 through 2008. He later spent three seasons on Harvard’s coaching staff before returning to New Haven to take over Yale’s program.
Current Yale head coach Kevin Cahill said Reno’s influence went far beyond wins and losses.
“As a coach, Tony loved his players and held them to a standard they often didn’t know they were capable of reaching,” Cahill said.
Cahill said Reno could be demanding, but his players always knew that he cared about them and wanted them to become better players, leaders and people.
Reno is survived by his wife, Toni, and their three children, Dante, Angelina and Vince.
His son Dante has followed closely in his father’s football footsteps and is currently Yale’s quarterback.
For a coach who spent more than a decade rebuilding and reshaping one of college football’s oldest programs, Reno leaves behind a legacy measured not only in championships and victories, but also in the generations of players he helped guide along the way.