Tony Reno Steps Down as Yale Head Coach for Health Reasons

After three unexpected head coaching changes at the FCS level last week, another suprising coaching change was announced on Tuesday morning.

Yale head coach Tony Reno announced he will be stepping down due to health reasons.

"Given my current health situation, I have made the decision to step down as head coach of Yale Football," Reno said in a statement. "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 lives 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 accepted the head coaching role at Yale in 2012, helping the Bulldogs go from 2 wins that season to 8 wins only two seasons later. He won his first Ivy League championship only three seasons later in 2017, finishing 9-1 overall and securing a spot in the final Top 25 poll.

Over his 14 seasons, Reno compiled an 83-49 overall record, which is the second-most wins for a head coach in Yale football history. He led the Bulldogs to five Ivy League Championships, including winning three of the last four Ivy League titles.

More importantly, Reno dominated the Harvard-Yale rivalry, defeating the Crimson in seven of the past nine meetings, including this season, which secured the Ivy League championship, along with a bid to the FCS Playoffs.

Under Reno, Yale became the first Ivy League team to appear in the FCS Playoffs. The Bulldogs put together one of the greatest comebacks in college football history in a 43-42 victory over Youngstown State, overcoming a 42-14 deficit in the second half. Yale's season ended against the eventual national champions, Montana State, in the second round.

Before being named head coach, Reno served as the wide receivers coach in 2003 and the defensive backs coach from 2004-08 at Yale. He also was the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Harvard from 2009 to 2011.

Yale will immediately begin a national search for the program's next head coach.

Tony Reno Steps Down as Head Coach of Yale Football

🔗 Full Release ➡️ https://t.co/nihdmzze8O pic.twitter.com/nvHaGBH9uN
— Yale Football (@yalefootball) February 17, 2026

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