John Beam (Former Football Coach)

Some Lesser Known Facts About John Beam

• In 1979, John Beam started working as an assistant (offensive line) coach at Serra High School in San Diego.

• From 1982 to 1987, he served as an assistant coach (defensive coordinator) at Skyline High School in Oakland.

  

• In 1987, John Beam was appointed as a head coach at Skyline High School. He served in the position till 2004. During this period, the school won 15 football league championships. In 1988, he was promoted to the position of Athletic Director of the school.

• Once, in a media conversation, he said that he met his wife when they attended a speech by Angela Davis.

• In 2000, John Beam started working as a Regional Director of the Junior Player Development Program at the National Football League. He served in the position till 2006.

  

• In 2006, he was promoted to the position of Director of the High School Development Program at the National Football League.

• From 2002 to 2012, John Beam served as a camp coordinator for the Oakland Raiders’ Youth Skills Football Camp.

• In 2004, he started working as a running backs coach at Laney College in Oakland, California.

  

• In 2012, John Beam was appointed as head coach at Laney College. He led the college football team to a state and national championship in 2018.

• In 2020, he appeared in the fifth season of the documentary series ‘Last Chance U,’ which aired on Netflix.

• In 2024, John Beam retired from coaching after 45 years of service; however, he continued to work as the athletic director at Laney College till his death in 2025.

  

• On 13 November 2025, he made headlines when he was shot at Laney College. After that, he was taken to a hospital.

• The Police authorities then checked CCTV footage to investigate the circumstances of the shooting.

• John Beam died on 14 November 2025 from a gunshot wound.

• On 12 November 2025, the day before he was shot, he expressed his worries regarding safety at Laney College, especially at the field house.

• John Beam was worried because, in 2020, the Peralta Community College District ended their contract with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, which had provided armed officers for campus protection.

• After the contract ended, the college hired six unarmed private security staff. Beam felt that the campus was less safe due to the change from armed deputies to unarmed guards.

• Later, Cedric Irving Jr., a 27-year-old man, was arrested by the Police as a suspect in connection with the shooting.

• The police recovered a gun from him, and he was charged with murder and carrying a concealed weapon.

  

• The police revealed that the shooting was targeted.

• John Beam liked travelling to distant places in his free time.

  

• He was a fitness enthusiast and went to the gym regularly. He often shared pictures of his gym sessions on social media.

  

• John Beam liked drinking alcoholic beverages on various occasions.