College Sports
Dante Reno had a performance to remember in honor of his dad, Tony Reno.
Yale quarterback Dante Reno took the field with a heavy heart on Saturday, but that didn’t prevent him from putting on a clinic.
Reno suited up for the Bulldogs just one day after the death of his father, former Yale football head coach Tony Reno, and had a performance to remember. Reno threw for 298 yards, completed 22 of 39 passes, and recorded four touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs over Merrimack, 41-24, in their home opener.
The second-year starting QB said he never considered not playing in the contest following the passing of his father on Friday.
“I know my dad, and he would want nothing less than for me to go out there and play, not miss practice, go to school and go out there and be around the guys,” Reno said (via CT Insider’s Roger Cleveland). “These kids are my family. I have 100-something brothers in there that are awesome to me.
“They loved my dad, they love coach (Kevin) Cahill, and it is just a special thing that we have here that I wasn’t going to risk not playing another Saturday.”
Reno said he felt his dad’s presence during the unforgettable game, and that he left a tangible legacy in New Haven, Connecticut.
“His spirit is everywhere in this program,” he said. “It’s on all the walls here … He was everywhere today. It was awesome.”
Reno died on Friday after a lengthy battle against a rare neurodegenerative brain condition called Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. He stepped down as Yale’s head coach in February after 14 years due to his health.
Reno won 83 total games during his tenure, the second-most in program history, and led the Bulldogs to five Ivy League championships. He helped Yale earn its first automatic berth to the FCS Playoffs in his final season last year.
Head coach Kevin Cahill, who’s in his first year at the program’s helm since taking over for Reno, said Saturday was difficult. Nevertheless, Reno’s memory was a motivating factor for him.
“Honestly, I am a mess, and I am just trying to hold everything in,” Cahill said. “This team needs a leader, but I am also trying to lead myself off my heart. I also know he is proud of this team, he is proud of this program and I know he is proud of me.”
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