Tony Reno enters his third season with Harvard in 2011-12. Renoserves as the Crimson's defensive backs coach and special teamscoordinator.
Reno recruits the southeast section of the United Statesincluding Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina andTennessee.
In 2009, Harvard's defensive backs spearheaded a defensive unitthat ranked 14th nationally in pass efficiency defense; the Crimsonintercepted 14 passes and broke up 63 more. Three of Harvard'sdefensive backs earned All-Ivy League status with Derrick Barkerand Collin Zych earning first team honors and Ryan Barnes earninghonorable mention status. On special teams, place kicker PatrickLong earned all-league honors as well. The unit was almost as goodin 2010 as the Crimson ranked 16th nationally in total defense,keyed by a stingy secondary led by Zych.
Prior to coming to Harvard, Reno completed six seasons as anassistant coach/assistant head coach at Yale, working with theteam's defensive backs for five of those seasons. Promoted toassistant head coach in 2007, Reno guided the team to its standingas one of the nation's top-ranked passing defenses ranking third inboth 2007 and 2008. Yale ranked just behind Harvard'snation-leading pass defense in 2007 and was three spots ahead ofthe Crimson the next season. In 2006, Reno helped Yale to an IvyLeague championship, the program's first since 1999.
Reno coached 15 All-Ivy student-athletes at Yale including fivein 2008.
Prior to working in the defensive secondary with Yale, Renoworked with the wide receivers and is also a former defensivecoordinator and secondary coach at his alma mater, Worcester StateCollege (Mass.). There, Reno helped transform a 1-9 team into theECAC Northeast Champions three years later. In his time at WSC, theprogram posted a 27-5 overall record with two playoff appearances.In 2002, Reno was honored with AFLAC National Assistant Coach ofthe Year Award.
His first coaching job came at King's College (Pa.), where heserved as a defensive ends coach.
A 1997 graduate of Worcester State, Reno earned a degree inhistory before completing a master's of science in health educationfrom WSC in 2000. As a player at WSC, Reno was a three-year starterat free safety, and his team was league champion both his juniorand senior years. The team led the nation in scoring, rushing andpass efficiency defense in 1996.
Reno, his wife, Toni, and his sons, Dante and Vince, anddaughter, Angelina, live in Sturbridge, Mass.
