“First and foremost, that mustache that he had! I was like, ‘Man. He always had that mustache,'” said Christina Macalino, who also graduated in 2000.<\/p>\n
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Macalino had Beam as her P.E. teacher senior year. She said he was tough, but added that tough love was what helped bring the best out in students.<\/p>\n
“He was supportive, inspiring. He brought out the talent and cultivated the talent he saw in students. He believed in the Oakland community,” Macalino said.<\/p>\n
Beam spent 45 years teaching and coaching in Oakland — first at Skyline High, then at Laney College. He coached more than 20 athletes who went on to play in the NFL.<\/p>\n
Beam was shot and killed in November at Laney College<\/a>, where he serving as the athletic director. He was allegedly shot by a former student. Oakland police called it a targeted shooting.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n RELATED: Family of Coach John Beam releases statement: ‘We are deeply grateful to the Oakland community’<\/a><\/p>\n Mark Stauffer, Class of 1978, knew Coach Beam for decades. He said he was a father figure for generations of students, including his sons.<\/p>\n “He cared so much about everybody’s upbringing. He took guys out of the gutter and turned them into Pro-Bowlers,” Stauffer said. “He was a father figure to so many people.”<\/p>\n Eric Romero, Class of 2017, was never coached by Beam. He came to show his support for a man who always came out to support Oakland.<\/p>\n “He saw more than just student-athletes. He saw them for what they were as a person. And he just wanted to make sure they were taken care of,” Romero said. “And I think that just goes to show the support he continues to get from the community.”<\/p>\n
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