How Raiders' Jack Bech is carrying on legacy of brother Tiger after death

Jack Bech didn't want to do any part of this journey without his brother Tiger.

Getting drafted into the NFL by the Las Vegas Raiders in the second round in April, and now playing in professional games as a rookie wide receiver, was a journey Bech wanted to do with his bro.

Tiger Bech is Jack's older brother, a Princeton receiver who was one of the 14 people killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack on New Year's Day.

Jack has decided he's carrying out his NFL dream in memory of Tiger.

"He was the best big brother I could have ever asked for," Jack said after the Senior Bowl. "My whole goal the rest of my life is just to live his legacy."  

Jack is a 6-foot-1, 214-pound receiver. He was a star in college for the TCU Horned Frogs. In his last college season, he had 62 catches, 1,034 yards and nine touchdown grabs.

"Whichever team gets me, you're not just getting Jack Bech, you're getting Tiger Bech," Jack told ESPN for a draft broadcast feature.

Tiger played at Princeton from 2017 through 2019, catching 53 passes for 825 yards and three TDs.

After college, Tiger had become a stockbroker in New York. He was in New Orleans for the holidays.

Former Princeton coach Bob Surace told ESPN this about Tiger:

"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."

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On draft night, Jack was wearing a Rolex watch around his wrist. It was special, having been presented to Tiger when he graduated Princeton.

Tiger died with the watch on.

"I'm never going to wash it, I'm never going to fix it, I'm going to keep it just the way is is," Bech said.

"It's another one of those reminders, just always keep on pressing. This isn't for me, this is for my brother, this is for my family, this is for all the people who have helped me get to this point of my life."

So far as a rookie, Jack has caught seven passes for 73 yards in eight games while getting a lot of action on special teams.

The Raiders traded Jakobi Meyers away before the deadline, so Bech should see more action in the second half of his rookie season.

No matter what he does out on an NFL field, he's doing it with Tiger on his mind.

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