Daijiworld Media Network – Oakland
Oakland, Nov 15: John Beam, the legendary former Laney College football coach whose championship team gained national attention through Netflix’s Last Chance U, died after being shot at the college campus, Oakland police confirmed on Thursday. He was 66.
Beam, who was serving as the athletic director at Laney College, succumbed to his injuries early November 14, a day after the shooting inside the campus field house. Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell said, “Coach Beam meant a lot to the Oakland community and beyond.”
Police have arrested 27-year-old Cedric Irving Jr. at a BART station in connection with the killing. He faces possible murder charges. Officials revealed that Irving knew Beam but did not share a close relationship. A firearm believed to be the weapon used was also recovered.
The shooting on November 13 prompted a temporary lockdown at the 12,000-student college after reports of shots fired just before noon. Assistant Chief James Beere called it a “targeted incident” and credited witness accounts and surveillance footage from the campus, nearby homes, buildings, and even buses for helping track down the suspect.
Beam, a towering figure in Oakland sports for over four decades, rose to national prominence when Laney College’s 2019 football season was featured in the final season of Last Chance U. He had coached the 2018 junior college national championship-winning team before retiring in 2024 to focus on his administrative role.
Tributes poured in from across the sports world. NFL player Rejzohn Wright, who starred in the Netflix series under Beam, shared an emotional message on Instagram saying, “You mean the world to me.” Beam had recently met Wright and his brother Nashon, also an NFL player, during an October 19 game in Chicago.
Mark Johnson, spokesperson for the Peralta Community College District, said the campus community is “stunned and heartbroken,” describing Beam as a mentor and leader whose influence extended far beyond the football field.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee called Beam “a giant in Oakland,” noting that the tragedy marked the second school shooting in the city within two days. She urged urgent action to curb gun violence, saying, “Schools should be the safest spaces in our city. We need guns off our streets now.”
Beam had earlier coached Skyline High School to multiple championships before joining Laney in 2004. His passing leaves a deep void in the Oakland sports community and beyond.