Lives Lived & Lost: Tiger Bech ’21 was a joy on and off the court

Tiger Bech ’21 had a magnetic personality and a great sense of humor. Described by Princeton’s football coaches as fearless, Bech’s teammates gravitated to him as a source of joy and encouragement on and off the field.

His death in a truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day was not only shocking but devastating to family and friends.

“It’s very upsetting because he had such an aura of untouchability,” Harrison Caponiti ’23, a Princeton football teammate, tells PAW.

The truck driver, identified by law enforcement as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was a military veteran. He drove into a crowd with a black ISIS flag on the truck’s rear bumper early on New Year’s Day, killing 14 people and injuring about 30 others. The FBI has stated that the attack was an act of terrorism. Jabbar, 42, was killed in a shootout with police.

Bech was in New Orleans to celebrate New Year’s with Princeton football alumnus Ryan Quigley ’20, who suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack.

A native Louisianan, Bech grew up in Lafayette and attended St. Thomas More Catholic High School. He earned all-state honors as a football player.

“He was like a lightning bolt that crossed all of our lives, with the intensity of his love in the bright light of his personality and laughter,” his high school coach Lance Strother said in a Facebook post. “He lit up our world and we will never forget that.”

Bech majored in sociology and played for the Princeton football team, earning All-Ivy honors as a punt returner in 2017 and 2018, recording 825 receiving yards during his career as a wide receiver.

Entering the 2018 season, Bech “was part of a group that was arguably one of the strongest in the league and one of the most talented,” said Mark Rosenbaum, quarterbacks coach for the Princeton football team. In 2018, his first year at Princeton, he was the wide receivers coach and got to know Bech.

“He grew tremendously in his approach to the details and in meetings and practices and everything,” Rosenbaum says. “And I think what defined him as a player is just his toughness and courage.”

Carson Bobo ’23 was a tight end on the football team and remembers looking up to Bech as he learned the offense during his freshman year.

“Things are difficult when you’re a beginner and you kind of look up to the older guys to guide you. And he always enjoyed smiling and never took anything too seriously – while keeping the important things important,” says Bobo.

At his funeral, people spoke of Bech’s love of life, outgoing personality and how he loved those around him.

Quigley and Bech worked together at Seaport Global Holdings, an investment firm in New York City.

“From the moment (Bech) joined our company, he was recognized as a very positive, energetic young man, exceptional in many ways,” says Victor Kurylak ’79, Seaport COO.

According to several people who attended Bech’s wake, the funeral home was nearly overwhelmed by the number of mourners, with a line of people wrapped around the building. “The love that came from the funeral, oh my goodness … this place was packed,” Bobo says.

Some alumni flew to Atlanta and drove eight hours to Lafayette to be there for Bech’s funeral.

“He was a ‘Tiger’ in every way – a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend,” head coach Bob Surace ’90 said in a statement. “Our last conversation was about how proud I was of the growth he showed during his time at Princeton and the success he had after graduation.”

At Bech’s funeral, his siblings emphasized how his death had brought so many people together in love.

“He was my best friend. My role model. My number one fan. The person I always wanted to grow up to be,” Jack Bech, Tiger’s younger brother, said at the service. Jack Bech is a wide receiver at Texas Christian University.

“He did everything he set out to do this side of heaven, except watch me live out my dream of playing in the NFL,” Jack Bech said. “But now he wants the best seat in the house.”

Hope Perry ’24 is PAW’s reporting colleague.