Reno named Yale football coach

Jan 12, 2012 - 9:39 PM New Haven, CT (Sports Network) - Tony Reno is well-versed in what it takes to get to the top of Ivy League football as an assistant coach.

Now Reno will try to take Yale there as a head coach.

Yale introduced the 37-year-old as its 34th head football coach on Thursday. He takes over a Bulldogs program that has won one Ivy title in the last 11 seasons, a co-championship with Princeton in 2006 when he was an assistant coach.

Reno replaces Tom Williams, who resigned last month following questions over his resume and candidacy as a Rhodes Scholar in 1992. Yale was 16-14 in Williams' three seasons, including 5-5 this past season.

"Protecting and building upon the tradition and success of the Yale football program is paramount to me," Reno said.

Reno, a native of Oxford, Mass., returns to Yale after serving as defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator at Harvard the last three seasons. The Crimson went 9-1 overall while winning the 2011 Ivy title, beating Yale, 45-7, in the season finale.

He spent the prior six seasons (2003-2008) at Yale working with defensive backs. He was promoted to assistant head coach in 2007 and coached 15 All-Ivy League players at Yale, including five in 2008.

A 1997 graduate of Worcester State (Mass.), Reno coached there as well as at King's College (Pa.).

"Yale made a good move," Harvard head coach Tim Murphy said. "Tony is a good guy, has substantial Ivy experience and will bring enthusiasm and professionalism to the program."