Yale quarterback Dante Reno was playing for more than just himself or his team against Merrimack on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Less than 24 hours after Yale announced the death of former Bulldogs coach Tony Reno — Dante Reno’s father — the Bulldogs quarterback passed for 298 yards with four touchdowns in a 41-24 win over Merrimack. Yale trailed 21-7 in the second quarter before it outscored Merrimack 34-3 the remainder of the game.
“This one’s for you pops,” Dante Reno wrote on X after the game.
Former Yale football coach Tony Reno dies after stepping down for health
Tony Reno stepped down as Yale’s head coach in the offseason, citing health reasons. The 52-year-old coach is one of the winningest coaches in Yale history, having won 83 games (second-most in program history) and five Ivy League titles from 2012-25.
Dante Reno not only put together a great performance, but also did it in his first game back from an elbow injury he suffered against Holy Cross in Yale’s opener. Dante Reno was unavailable for Yale’s 38-25 loss to Cornell on Sept. 26.
“Dad, you are my role model, my best friend and my coach,” Dante Reno wrote on social media in February after Tony Reno stepped down as head coach. “I love you so much. The last 15 years you have been the best head coach I have ever seen. From your first year to playing with you last year, you have put your heart and soul into coaching. Your legacy will last forever.”
Dad, you are my role model, my best friend and my coach. I love you so much. The last 15 years you have been the best head coach I have ever seen. From your first year to playing with you last year, you have put your heart and soul into coaching. Your legacy will last forever. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kftWSdrtIP
— Dante Reno (@dantereno10) February 17, 2026
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Dante Reno started his career at South Carolina, where he was a reserve quarterback in 2024 before transferring to Yale, where he played for Tony Reno’s final season as head coach. It was a historic season for the Bulldogs, which finished ranked No. 13 in FCS while earning the Ivy League’s first-ever automatic berth to the FCS playoffs.
Yale defeated Youngstown State 43-42 in the first round of the postseason, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter as Dante Reno passed for 260 yards with three touchdowns in the come-from-behind win.
Tony Reno started his coaching tenure at Yale as an assistant coach in 2003 before rising through the program and becoming head coach. While it is Yale’s first win as a program without Tony Reno around the team in some capacity, another Reno was there for the Bulldogs.
This time, it was Dante Reno, who was playing for more than just himself in the win.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yale QB Dante Reno throws for 4 TDs one day after dad, coach’s death: ‘This one’s for you’
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