Former Princeton football player Tiger Bech was killed in the deadly truck attack on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Tiger, 27, was one of at least 15 fatalities on Wednesday, January 1 when a vehicle plowed through a group of holiday revelers on the famed boulevard.
During a three-year career at Princeton from 2017 to 2019, Tiger was a two-time second team all-Ivy League kick returner and also caught 53 passes for 825 yards with three touchdowns.
Tiger was the brother of TCU star wide receiver Jack Bech, who remembered his late older brother on social media after the attack.
“Love you always brother!” Jack, 22, wrote via X on Wednesday. “You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us ❤️.”
Jack also posted about Tiger via his Instagram Story, calling Tiger his “best friend” and “role model.”
In a statement released by his alma mater after the attack, Princeton Tigers head football coach Bob Surace called his former player “a Tiger in every way.”
“A ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend,” Surace said. “Our last conversation was about how proud I was of the growth he showed during his time at Princeton and the success he was having after graduation. My love goes to the entire Bech family.”
Surace told ESPN that he had been texting with Tiger and Jack’s father, Martin, swapping stories about his late son.
“He might be the first Tiger to ever play for us, and that nickname kind of described him as a competitor,” Surace said. “He was somebody that somehow, like in the key moments, just excelled and was full of energy, full of life.”
According to ESPN, Tiger was working as a stockbroker in New York and was in New Orleans to celebrate the holidays.
“He was just starting a successful career in the business world,” Surace said. “There were two or three times we had career nights, and you could call him with a day’s notice, and he came down and shared his experiences as a young professional with our team.”
Per the New Orleans Police Department, at least 15 people were killed in the attack and dozens were injured. The FBI has classified the incident as “an act of terrorism.”
