How Philadelphia Eagles helped Ryan Quigley after he lost his best friend in New Orleans terror attack

CBS News

28-02-2025

Ryan Quigley doesn't remember anything.
Quigley, a Lansdale, Pennsylvania, native, was in New Orleans on New Year's Day with his best friend Tiger Bech when a man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street.
"I didn't see the truck coming," Quigley said. "As soon as I got hit, I blacked out."
Hours later, Quigley woke up in a hospital. He was among the dozens injured in the attack. He had a long list of injuries, including a torn ACL, a torn meniscus, a broken fibula, a broken nose, severe muscle damage in his back and more. His best friend didn't survive.
Bech was among the 14 people killed in the attack. Since then, Quigley has been sharing Bech's story and honoring his life.
Weeks after the attack, the Philadelphia Eagles surprised Quigley, a longtime Birds fan, and Bech's family with Super Bowl LIX tickets for the game at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
For Quigley, going back to New Orleans in such a short time after the traumatic incident brought a "roller coaster" of emotions. But he knew Bech would want him to be there, especially to cheer on his Eagles.
"It felt really good to go down there, have fun, spread love and joy throughout the Super Bowl with our friends and the best family, and we left on a positive note and a win from the Eagles," Quigley said on an episode of " Gallen of Questions," airing Saturday nights at 8 p.m. on PHILLY57 and CBS Philadelphia. "It felt like I was taking my power back and not letting evil win and showing that love always prevails."
Tiger Bech is the "best guardian angel I could ever ask for"
Quigley and Bech first met during their official visits to Princeton University, where the two played on the football team.
Quigley, a two-time Philadelphia Catholic League MVP at Lansdale Catholic, played running back for the Tigers, while Bech played wide receiver.
Quigley and Bech were part of the Princeton teams that won Ivy League conference championships in 2016 and 2018.
"He was a stud receiver," said Quigley, who is currently rehabbing from his injuries and starting to walk with one crutch. "He was like 5-foot-8, 175, but he was like a Ladd McConkey on the football field. He made DBs spin around out of their shoes. He had no business playing in the Ivy League in terms of his skill set. He could've played at any level, he was so skilled. His younger brother, Jack, is at the combine right now getting ready for the NFL draft. He was a stud receiver and we had a lot of great memories on and off the field."
Quigley and Bech grew into best friends off the field. After both of them had graduated from Princeton, the two moved to New York together. They worked together, were gym partners and even went to the barber together – the two were inseparable.
"We spent 24/7 with each other," Quigley said. "While I feel like I'm missing my other half right now in terms of moving forward with life, I know he's looking after me, and I've seen so many signs recently. He's definitely the best guardian angel I could ever ask for."
One of those signs Quigley mentioned was before his surgery after the terrorist attack in New Orleans.
On the way to his knee surgery, Quigley was nervous. Bech's sister's fiancé was driving him there and played a random Bible verse for Quigley.
The Bible verse that played was the same verse read at Bech's funeral, and in that moment, Quigley knew his best friend was there looking over him.
"If I didn't believe in signs or if anyone doesn't believe in signs, I 100% believe now," Quigley said. "It's just great to see that he's so present and he's looking after us and he's giving us Tiger winks every day."
Eagles helped Quigley during "dark" time
Quigley has been a massive Birds fan since he was born.
Growing up in Lansdale, he dressed up as former Eagles players Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook for Halloween multiple times.
"To be a part of their journey throughout this playoff run has been amazing," Quigley said.
Along with being at the Super Bowl win over the Chiefs, Quigley was also at the Eagles' divisional round win over the Los Angeles Rams as snow blanketed the region.
For Quigley, being inside the Caesars Superdome and watching the Eagles dominate the Chiefs, 40-22, to win the second Super Bowl in franchise history was "surreal."
"It was a big distraction to put smiles on our faces during a time that was so dark," Quigley said.
The game was filled with highlight-reel plays from start to finish for the Birds. The Cooper DeJean pick-6, the dagger throw from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith and plenty more.
Quigley said the game was exactly how he would want it to go.
"What a beatdown! It was sick, I was so hype," he said.
"Honestly, it wasn't 40-22, that game was 40-6," he added. "I'm going to get a banner that says, '40-6.'"
But that most insane part for Quigley wasn't even the Super Bowl win – it was the parade.
Quigley was supposed to be in seats with his friends and family, but he was spotted by a trio of Eagles offensive linemen: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens.
"They grabbed me and were like, 'He's coming with us. He's not sitting there, he's coming with us, he's not sitting there, he's coming with us,'" Quigley said.
Mailata, Dickerson and Jurgens then carried Quigley, who was in a wheelchair at the time due to his injuries, down the Art Museum steps near the podium after for the speeches.
Quigley said Eagles running back Saquon Barkley told him he wasn't going to give a speech at the parade unless he did as well. Quigley said he blacked out before giving a speech to the Birds fans that flocked to Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
"It just goes to show these people are phenomenal people," Quigley said. "They know people look up to them but they're great people. This world needs more people like that, looking out for others and taking care of people and that's going to be my goal going forward."
Quigley said the Eagles are like "family" after everything they've done for him and the Bech family after the New Orleans attack. He's hoping he and the team can celebrate another parade next year.