Former Yale football coach Tony Reno dies aged 52
Tony Reno, who led Yale to five Ivy League titles and 83 wins across 14 seasons before stepping down in February for health reasons, has died aged 52.
Former Yale football coach Tony Reno has died aged 52, the university announced on Friday.
Reno stepped down from leading the Bulldogs in February for health reasons, having been on medical leave since the end of the 2025 season. No cause of death was given.
“Today, we are deeply saddened by the loss of an extraordinary member of the Yale Athletics family,” Yale athletic director Victoria M. Chun said in a statement. “Tony Reno devoted his life to serving others and approached every day with humility, compassion, and purpose.”
Across 14 seasons from 2012 to 2025, Reno went 83-49 — the second-most wins by a head coach in programme history — and won five Ivy League titles, in 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025. Yale also won seven of its last nine meetings against Harvard in the historic rivalry.
Last season Reno guided Yale to the conference’s first automatic berth in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs, where the Bulldogs advanced to the second round after a 43-42 comeback victory over Youngstown State. Yale finished 9-3 and ranked 13th nationally.
Current Yale coach Kevin Cahill said Reno’s legacy would forever be part of the Yale football family. Reno is survived by his wife Toni and their children Dante, Angelina and Vince.
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