Yale coach Tony Reno resigned due to health issues

Yale football coach Tony Reno is stepping down from the Bulldogs for health reasons, the school announced Tuesday.

His departure came after the school announced on December 8 that Reno would take a medical leave of absence.

Reno, 52, led the Bulldogs to five Ivy League championships and the first FCS playoff win in program history over 14 seasons from 2012 to 2025. He leaves Yale with a career record of 83–49 as the school’s second winningest coach all-time, only the legendary coach the Bulldogs and the Bulldogs won 9 games. 10 league titles from 1965 to 1996.

A national search for Reno’s replacement will begin immediately, the school announced.

“Given my current health situation, I have decided to resign as head coach of Yale football,” Reno said in a statement. “When I arrived at Yale 14 years ago, I never imagined what this journey would be. The relationships that were formed, the moments that were shared and the people that I was privileged to be surrounded by changed my life and the lives of my family forever. I am deeply grateful to the players, coaches and staff who gave their all to Yaotball.”

The school did not provide details on Reno’s specific health issues.

Reno spent six seasons as an assistant at Yale from 2003 to 2008 before taking over the program in January 2012 after a three-year staff stint at Harvard.

In 2017, Reno led the Bulldogs to a 9-1 record and the school’s first Ivy League title since 2006.

This past fall, in Reno’s final season with the program, Yale became the Ivy League’s first automatic qualifier to the NCAA FCS playoffs and erased a 28-point deficit with a dramatic win over Youngstown State to secure the program’s first-ever postseason win.

A two-time Ivy League Coach of the Year honoree, Reno ultimately led the Bulldogs to six winning records in his last eight seasons and won seven of their last nine meetings against rival Harvard.

His son Dante, a former four-star recruit who began his college career at South Carolina, will return as Yale’s starting quarterback in 2026 after throwing for 2,498 yards and 21 touchdowns in his first season with the Bulldogs.