John Beam
41ms
John Edward Beam. January 1959 to November 14, 2025. An American football coach, a faculty athletics director, and a star. From 2012 to 2024, he helmed the Laney College Eagles in Oakland, California. And in 2020, his story unfolded in the fifth season of Netflix's "Last Chance U."
Born in San Diego in January of '59, Beam's coaching journey began in 1979 at Serra High School, shaping offensive lines. By 1987, he was leading the Skyline High School Titans in Oakland, forging a remarkable 160-33-3 record, securing 15 Oakland Athletic League championships and 11 Oakland Section titles. Then, in 2012, he took the reins at Laney, guiding the Eagles to a California Community College Athletic Association championship in 2018.
But his story took a tragic turn. On November 13, 2025, John Beam was shot at Laney College. Surveillance footage was reviewed, piecing together the events. He succumbed to his injuries the following day. A suspect, Cedric Irving Jr., was apprehended the very next day. Just before the shooting, Beam had voiced his worries about campus safety, particularly around the field house, following the Peralta Community College District's decision in 2020 to end its contract with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, replacing armed deputies with six unarmed private contractors.
John Edward Beam (January 1959 – November 14, 2025) was an American football coach and faculty athletics director. He served as the head football coach at Laney College in Oakland, California from 2012 to 2024. Beam starred in the fifth season of the Netflix documentary series Last Chance U, which was released in 2020.
== Career ==
Beam was born in January 1959 in San Diego, California.
Beam began his coaching career in 1979 as an offensive line coach at Serra High School in San Diego. He became the head football coach at Skyline High School in Oakland in 1987, where he led the Titans to a 160–33–3 record and 15 Oakland Athletic League championships and 11 Oakland Section titles. He became the head coach at Laney in 2012, and led the Eagles to a California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) championship in 2018.
== Murder ==
Beam was shot at Laney College on November 13, 2025. Authorities reviewed surveillance footage to determine the circumstances of the shooting. He died the next day from the gunshot wound. A suspect, Cedric Irving Jr., was arrested the following day. The day before he was shot, Beam had expressed concerns about public safety at the Laney College campus, and specifically the field house, after the Peralta Community College District in 2020 terminated its contract with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office that provided armed deputies to protect the school and replaced them with six unarmed private contractors.
== Head coaching record ==
=== Junior college ===
== References ==
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