Eagles Honor Terror Attack Victim with Super Bowl Trip

PHILADELPHIA — Former Princeton football player Ryan Quigley, who survived a deadly terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, will fulfill a promise to his late teammate and best friend, Tiger Bech, by attending Super Bowl LIX as an honorary guest of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles surprised Quigley with the invitation during a visit to their training facility, offering him a chance to honor Bech’s memory in the city where the tragedy unfolded.

Quigley, 26, and Bech were celebrating on Bourbon Street when a suspect drove a truck through the crowd, killing 14 people, including Bech, and injuring dozens. Bech died after pushing a woman to safety, an act that has been hailed as heroic. Quigley suffered multiple broken bones and underwent surgery, spending several days in the hospital recovering from his injuries.

“New Year’s Eve was my first time in New Orleans ever, it was my first night, and I told myself it was going to be the last,” Quigley told the Eagles’ website. “But then I thought about it, because all year I’ve been telling Tiger if the Eagles make the Super Bowl this year, I promised him I was going to take him, and he’s from Louisiana.”

The Eagles, who will face the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, invited Quigley and Bech’s sister, Ginnie Bech, to their divisional round game last month. During his visit to the team’s facility, defensive end Brandon Graham delivered the emotional news of the Super Bowl invitation. “We want to tell you the real reason we brought you here,” Graham said in a video shared by the team. “It’s okay if you’re not feeling it, but we would love to have you down for the Super Bowl.”

Quigley expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share Bech’s story and honor his memory. “Everything that the Eagles have done from being around the facilities today and the Divisional Round, to helping us share his story, there’s no words to describe it,” Quigley said. “We’re forever grateful to have the opportunity to tell the rest of the world how special Tiger was.”

Bech, a Lafayette native, was remembered by Quigley as a well-rounded individual with a unique ability to connect with people from all walks of life. “He had no problem going to like anywhere in the world and fitting into different cultures,” Quigley said. “And he was just a super well-rounded individual with a ton of qualities that I’m going to make sure people know about for the rest of my life.”

The Super Bowl will be held in New Orleans, just over a month after the attack. Quigley, who initially vowed never to return to the city, said he is determined to leave on a positive note. “I think, not letting evil win and evil will not prevail,” he said. “I think we’re going to go back to New Orleans and leave on a positive note from that city, given that Tiger’s from there and that I promised him I was going bring him down to the Super Bowl. I’m looking forward to it for sure.”