Yale Head Football Coach Tony Reno Steps Down Due to Health Reasons

Reno led the Bulldogs to five Ivy League titles in his 14 seasons at the helm.

Yale Bulldogs head coach Tony Reno is stepping down due to health concerns. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Yale head football coach Tony Reno is stepping down from his post due to health reasons, effective immediately.

The school announced the news on Tuesday morning, marking a significant opening in the Ivy League after a great run by Reno leading the Bulldogs.

“Given my current health situation, I have made the decision to step down as head coach of Yale Football,” Reno said. “When I arrived at Yale 14 years ago, I could never have imagined what this journey would become. The relationships formed, the moments shared, and the people I have been privileged to be surrounded by have changed my life and my family’s life forever. I am deeply grateful to the players, the coaches, and the staff who gave everything they had to Yale Football.

“From the very beginning, I spoke about honoring the proud tradition of Yale Football and fully embracing the responsibility that comes with leading this program. Together, we pursued excellence and built something truly meaningful. I am incredibly proud of the foundation we laid and confident in the future of Yale Football. Serving as the head coach of this program has been the greatest honor of my life.”

Reno steps down as one of the most successful football coaches in school history. He amassed 83 career victories, which is second in school history behind program legend Carm Cozza. In his 14 seasons, Reno won five Ivy League titles, and captured wins over Harvard in seven of the last nine meetings. This season, the Bulldogs won the Ivy League and earned the conference’s first automatic qualifier to the FCS playoffs after finishing the regular season 8–2 with a 6–1 record in conference play. The Bulldogs earned their inaugural FCS playoff victory, beating Youngstown State 43–42 while becoming the first team to overcome a halftime deficit of 28 points or more in the history of the FCS playoffs. Yale finished 13th in the country in the final FCS rankings.

The program will commence a national search for the school’s next head coach.

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