Tony Reno, who coached Yale football as their head coach for 14 years, died at 52. The school announced it Friday, less than a day before the Bulldogs host Merrimack at home. While Yale hasn’t given a cause of death in the memorial article uploaded on their official website, it was reported that Reno stepped down in February for health reasons and had been on medical leave since the end of last season.

The Hartford Courant and WTNH reported that he was diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease in August 2025. But it must be noted that no official source has linked his death with this reported diagnosis.

“Today, we are deeply saddened by the loss of an extraordinary member of the Yale Athletics family,” Athletic director Victoria Chun said in a statement according to the Yale University website. “Tony Reno devoted his life to serving others and approached every day with humility, compassion, and purpose. He believed deeply in the power of mentorship and invested wholeheartedly in the success and well-being of his players, colleagues, and friends.”

“While his accomplishments on the football field were remarkable, it is the relationships he built and the lives he changed that will define his enduring legacy. Our thoughts are with Toni, Dante, Angelina, Vince, and the entire Reno family during this time,” the statement read.

Last fall, Yale went 9-3, won the Ivy title and became the league’s first automatic qualifier for the FCS playoffs. The Bulldogs trailed Youngstown State by 28 points before mounting a comeback for a 43-42 win, the program’s first postseason victory. Reno’s son, Dante, was at quarterback for the historic win. Their run came to an end the following week with a 21-13 loss to Montana State in the second round.

Reno went 83-49 from 2012 to 2025, giving him the second-most wins in Yale football history behind Carm Cozza. The accolades and the thrill of close wins marked a legendary career. The five Ivy titles came in 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2025. One of his wins against Harvard included a 50-43 double-overtime game in 2019. He was also made Ivy Coach of the Year in 2022. Six of his players won the Bushnell Cup as Ivy League Player of the Year, and linebacker Foyesade Oluokun went on to lead the NFL in tackles in 2021 and 2022.

Yale Football Association president and former player Patrick Ruwe remembered Reno as someone who played an important role in helping young men grow, both on and off the field. Ruwe said Reno coached more than just football, helping the players develop a culture built around discipline, resilience, and personal growth.

“Coach Reno understood something generations of us who played at Yale know deeply: Yale Football transforms young men’s lives,” Ruwe said. “That transformation isn’t a tradition, it’s the purpose. He was an extraordinary coach, but his real legacy is how he deepened that purpose — teaching discipline, resilience, accountability, and leadership, and creating opportunities that changed the trajectory of his players’ lives.”

How Reno changed Yale Football

Reno was an assistant at Yale from 2003 to 2008. Then he spent three years at Harvard before taking over the Bulldogs in 2012 and going 2-8 in his first season. By 2017, the Bulldogs were 9-1 and had their first Ivy title since 2006. He finished with a winning record in six of his last eight seasons, and his staff was named the 2025 Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year.

“Tony was a man who valued the important things in life. Family always came first, and that was evident in the special family he built and the love the Reno family shares,” current Bulldogs HC Kevin Cahill said. “It was never about him or simply about winning championships; it was about developing young men and leaders and helping them become the best versions of themselves. Tony will be missed dearly. His impact on so many lives will never be forgotten, and his legacy will forever be a part of the Yale Football family.”

Kevin Cahill, who coached under Reno from 2012 to 2022, returned to Yale in February to succeed his former coach. Coach Reno is survived by his wife, Toni, and their children: Dante, Angelina, and Vince.