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John Beam’s remarkable career shaping the lives of high school and college athletes in Oakland spanned over four decades. As a football coach at Skyline High School and then Laney College, he sent a steady stream of athletes into Division I college teams, more than a dozen of whom went on to play in the NFL — with several, he loved to say, playing in the Super Bowl. Beam was widely known as a mentor for the football players he coached, and as one of Oakland’s most influential sports figures. 

Beam, 66, was shot on the Laney campus just before noon on Thursday, then taken to Highland Hospital, where he was in critical condition overnight as friends and family stood vigil. The Oakland Police Department arrested a suspect in the shooting early on Friday morning. 

OPD acting chief James Beere confirmed Beam’s passing at a noon press conference today. 

News of the shooting sent shockwaves across Oakland, and an outpouring of emotion from people who knew Beam. Many shared praise on social media about his selfless work with youth in Oakland, calling him a “coach, a mentor, and a father figure.”

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“My thoughts are with Coach John Beam and his loved ones. We are praying for him. Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee in a statement. “For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family.”

Alexis Gray Lawson, a former WNBA player who is now athletic director and community school manager at Oakland Tech, shared a heartfelt message about Beam on Instagram. “Anyone who knows Coach Beam knows how incredible a human he was. He always showed me so much love and encouragement. This was senseless and truly heartbreaking.”

“The Peralta community is devastated by his shooting,” Mark Johnson, a spokesperson for Peralta Community College District, said in a statement while Beam was being treated at Highland. “We are stunned and heartbroken that such violence has touched our campus and one of the most respected and beloved members of our Laney, Peralta, and Oakland community.”

Oakland filmmaker Mario Bobino has known Beam since 1992, when Bobino was the sports director for KDOL-TV, the station run by the Oakland Unified School District. Bobino recalls filming the football games and giving Beam copies; Beam would then get Bobino to pull player highlights that Beam would send to colleges in an effort to secure scholarships for his athletes.

“We have lost a leader,” Bobino said. “You’re not going to come across somebody like this man ever again. He was so genuine. He is irreplaceable.”

Beam’s family released a statement today, saying, “We are devastated that John Beam, our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor, and friend has passed. Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love and support from all who cared about him. We are deeply grateful for your continued prayers, well wishes, and thoughts.”

A string of championships

Beam was born in San Diego. His father, a white Navyman, met his mother in Korea, and moved the family to Japan for much of Beam’s early childhood. The family then returned to San Diego, where, Beam once recalled, his mother grew her own vegetables in order to make home-cooked Korean food. He met his wife Cindi, a therapist, when she was a student at UC San Diego, after they both attended a speech by Angela Davis.

Beam began his coaching career in 1979 at Serra High School in San Diego, but the young couple ended up in Oakland not long after, where he would build an epic career. He joined Skyline High School in 1982 as defensive coordinator and went on to become head football coach in 1987. While leading Skyline High School, coach Beam won 15 league championships and led the Titans in undefeated league play throughout the entire decade of the 1990s. 

His tenure at Skyline ended in 2004 when he joined Laney College as running backs coach and then defensive coordinator. He became Laney’s athletic director in 2006 and, in 2012, Laney’s head football coach. 

During his time as head coach, he led the team to the 2018 State Championship. That year, he earned the Coach of the Year award from the California Community College Athletic Association.

As a coach, he achieved a 90% graduation and transfer rate from the community college. According to ABC7, between his time at Skyline and Laney, he shaped the careers of over 20 NFL players, including former Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, former Steelers Pro Bowl offensive tackle Marvel Smith, and former Patriots cornerback Sterling Moore. 

A life dedicated to Oakland

Beam would often share his personal life on social media, posting about his travels — whether to attend a wedding or a game featuring some of his former players — or photos with his wife and grandkids. His signature sign off was “2 claps, ready ready,” the way he’d end player huddles over the course of his long coaching career. 

In October, Beam traveled to Chicago to see two of his former Laney students — brothers Nahshon Wright, a cornerback for the Chicago Bears, and Rejzohn Wright, a cornerback for the New Orleans Saints — battle it out on the field. 

When news of the shooting broke, Rejzohn posted several pictures of the brothers with Coach Beam. “You mean the world to me,” he wrote. 

Brothers Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright shared heartfelt posts when it was confirmed that Coach Beam was the victim of the shooting at Laney. Credit: Instagram

During a 2024 interview with KPIX, Beam told Vern Glenn that he had big plans after his coaching retirement. “I’ve coached everybody else’s kids. I got to coach my daughters a little bit when they were growing up, but now I got these two granddaughters. I want to be a soccer, basketball, softball grandpa.”

Beam and his Laney team became familiar to sports fans across the country after the 2018 championship.The Laney Eagles 2019 season, as Beam sought to rebuild the team, was featured in the fifth season of the Netflix series “Last Chance U.” 

In reflecting on his long career of coaching Oakland football, Beam said, “My loyalty is to this community. They’ve given me more than I’ve ever given them. They gave me a place to belong. They gave me a place where I was valued as a human being. Oakland gave that to me, so I want to keep giving to Oakland as much as I can.”

Beam ended his 45-year coaching career in November of last year, though he remained as Laney’s athletic director. 

Beam leaves behind his wife Cindi, his daughters Monica and Sonjha, two granddaughters, and countless athletes whose lives were shaped by his mentorship. 

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