Lansdale Football Star Injured In New Orleans Attack Mourns 'Extraordinary' Friend: Report

LANSDALE, PA — The Lansdale native and football star who was seriously injured in the New Year's Day terrorist attack in New Orleans is now out of the hospital and recovering. But the most severe injury is emotional.

Ryan Quigley, a standout at both Lansdale Catholic and Princeton University, lost his best friend in New Orleans: his college teammate Tiger Bech.

“I could talk about Tiger for years,” Quigley told his alma mater in a Princeton athletic department feature. "Our number one goal now is to tell the world who he was as a person. If the world had more Tiger Bechs in it, then it would be a much better place."

Quigley is suffering from a broken fibula, a torn ACL, and torn meniscus, and will require surgery for each in the coming days and weeks, the report states. He spent several days in the hospital after the attack, but now is processing the loss of a friend who was like a brother.

"His energy was so vibrant," Quigley added. "He loved life. Maybe his most endearing quality was the way he went out of his way to include everyone. Maybe it was the weakest person. Maybe it was a child with a disability. Maybe it was someone who wasn’t that close with the friend group in the room. It was unbelievable how he went out of his way to be friends with so many different people in the Princeton community and everywhere. He did this his entire life. It was extraordinary.”

Quigley was a two-time MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League while in high school and went on to be a key cog in some of the most offensively powerful Princeton football teams in school history.

Both Quigley and Bech lived in New York City and worked together at Seaport Global, a brokerage firm, according to the Associated Press. They were in New Orleans for a hunting and fishing trip around the New Year.

Nearly $80,000 has been raised to support Quigley's treatment and Bech's funeral costs through the GoFundMe, though it has since been closed.

The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. The driver was Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, the agency said. An ISIS flag was found inside the truck and investigators say they are working to determine if he worked alone and to confirm any outside allegiances.

See the full feature on Quigley and Bech from Princeton here.