FORMER YALE FOOTBALL COACH TONY RENO DIES AGED 52

Tony Reno, who served as Yale's head football coach for 14 years, has died, the university announced on Friday. Yale did not give a cause of death in a memorial statement published on its athletics website. Reno stepped down from his role in February this year, citing health reasons, and had been on medical leave since the end of the previous season. The Hartford Courant and WTNH reported that he had been diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease in August 2025, though no official source has linked his death to that reported diagnosis. Yale athletic director Victoria Chun said in a statement that the university was "deeply saddened by the loss of an extraordinary member of the Yale Athletics family", adding that Reno had approached every day "with humility, compassion, and purpose".

Reno compiled a record of 83 wins and 49 losses between 2012 and 2025, the second-most wins in Yale football history behind Carm Cozza. He led the Bulldogs to five Ivy League titles, in 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025, and was named Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2022. Six players under his leadership won the Bushnell Cup as Ivy League Player of the Year, including linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, who went on to lead the NFL in tackles in 2021 and 2022. Yale's statement named his family as Toni, Dante, Angelina and Vince Reno.

Last autumn, Yale finished the season 9-3, won the Ivy League title and became the league's first automatic qualifier for the FCS playoffs. The Bulldogs overturned a 28-point deficit against Youngstown State to win 43-42, the programme's first postseason victory, with Reno's son Dante playing quarterback in the game. Their playoff run ended the following week with a 21-13 defeat to Montana State. Yale is set to host Merrimack at home, a fixture scheduled for less than a day after the announcement of Reno's death.