17 Nov Beloved Oakland Coach John Beam Killed in Shooting at Laney College

Laney College Athletic Director and former head football coach John Beam, seen during a 2024 high school football championship game in Oakland, died Nov. 14 after being shot the day before. (D. Ross Cameron via Bay City News)

By Malcolm Marshall

Legendary Oakland football coach John Beam was shot at Laney College on Nov. 13. He died the following morning. He was 66. The loss has stunned the Oakland community.

Beam spent decades coaching and mentoring young people in Oakland and was beloved throughout the city he gave so much to.

After teaching physical education at Frick Junior High, Beam went on to coach at Skyline High School, where he led the football program to multiple championships. He later became head coach and athletic director at Laney College.

Beam was also featured in the Netflix series “Last Chance U.”

News of his death prompted tributes across the Bay Area, including from NBA star and Oakland native Damian Lillard, who said Beam gave him his first job working Laney football games.

“Rest in peace Coach Beam. Condolences to his family and all who loved him,” Lillard wrote on Instagram. “This man is a true Oakland legend and GREAT man. Hundreds of kids all over Oakland became the type of men they are today because of this dude, and for someone from that exact world to randomly come and take his life just ain’t right… this ain’t the Oakland I grew up in.”

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee reflected on Beam’s impact in a statement.

“My deepest condolences go out to Coach John Beam’s family and loved ones. Coach Beam’s legacy isn’t measured in championships or statistics. It’s measured in the thousands of young people he believed in, mentored, and refused to abandon, including my nephew, while at Skyline High School,” she said. “He gave Oakland’s youth their best chance, and he never stopped fighting for them.

Lee said the loss of a man who spent his life uplifting Oakland’s youth to gun violence is something the community cannot accept.

“Now we must honor his memory by continuing the hard work of ridding our community of gun violence. We owe it to every family shattered by this crisis.”

Authorities say Beam was targeted in the shooting. A suspect, Cedric Irving, 27, was arrested in connection with his killing. Irving on Monday was charged with murder.