Former college football standout Tiger beech was killed in the terrorist attack in New Orleans early Wednesday morning, his brother announced. He was just 28 years old.
Bech – an all-conference kick returner for the Princeton Tigers – was in New Orleans over the holidays when he was struck by a pickup truck that drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. local time.
According to local media, he was taken to a nearby hospital where he was kept on life support until his family arrived at the facility.
Bech played as a kick returner and receiver at Princeton from 2017 to 2019 and recorded three touchdowns, 53 catches and 825 yards over the course of his college career.
After his playing days, he pursued a career as a stockbroker in New York.
Bech's brother, Jack — who also played football at TCU and LSU — shared a heartbreaking tribute hours after the tragedy that left at least 15 people dead and dozens more injured … saying, “I love you always, brother!”
“You inspired me every day, now you can be with me in every moment. I have this family T, don't worry. This is for us ❤️”
Princeton coach Bob Surace expressed his condolences on the loss of the program's former player and praised Bech for being its biggest competitor.
“He was someone who kind of, like in the key moments, just stood out and was full of energy and life,” he told ESPN.
The driver of the pickup truck – Shamsud Din Jabbar – was killed during a shootout while emergency responders were on scene. The FBI is currently looking for potential accomplices.
As we previously reported, the attack caused delays to the Sugar Bowl, scheduled to take place at Caesars Superdome on Wednesday.