Quigley started as a sports writer at The (Nacogdoches) Daily Sentinel in 1995. He joined the Austin American-Statesman as a page designer and copy editor in 1998. He won several Texas APME and Society of Newspaper Design awards as a copy editor and page designer. He became assistant news editor in 2001. In 2007, he was named the paper's first-ever Internet editor. In 2009, he became one of the first social media editors in the world, overseeing the Statesman's industry-leading social efforts. In 2010, the Statesman won a first place Texas APME award for the Fort Hood shootings, and Quigley's use of social media was singled out by the judges. In 2011, the Statesman won another first place award, this time for a plane crash into an IRS building in Austin. Again, Quigley's use of social media made the judges' comments.