11/14/25 05:05:00
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11/14 17:03 CST College football coach John Beam from ?Last Chance U' has died
after being shot
College football coach John Beam from ?Last Chance U' has died after being shot
By MIKE CATALINI and HAVEN DALEY
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) --- Celebrated former football coach John Beam, who was
featured in the Netflix series "Last Chance U" that showcased the connections
he made with players others wouldn't gamble on, has died after being shot on
the college campus where he worked, the Oakland Police Department said Friday.
The suspect, who police say knew and targeted Beam, 66, has been arrested.
Beam's death a day after he was shot at Laney College rattled the community
with scores holding a vigil outside the hospital before he died and remembering
him as someone who always tried to help anyone.
Oakland Assistant Chief James Beere said the suspect went on campus for a
"specific reason" but did not elaborate on what that was. "This was a very
targeted incident," he said.
Beere did not say how Beam and the suspect knew each other but said the suspect
was known to loiter around the Laney campus. The suspect had played football at
a high school where Beam had worked but not at the time the coach was employed
there.
The suspect was taken into custody without any altercation and a gun has been
recovered, the assistant chief added. Charges were still pending.
Authorities credited technology, specifically cameras at the college campus,
private residences and on public transit, with helping arrest the suspect, who
was not named.
Police said the shooting happened Thursday before noon, and officers arrived to
find Beam shot. Few other details were available. It was the second shooting in
two days at a school in Oakland.
The Netflix docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges striving to turn
their lives around, and Beam's Laney College Eagles starred in the 2020 season.
Beam gambled on players nobody else wanted. He developed deep relationships
with his players while fielding a team that regularly competed for
championships.
Beam's family said in a statement that he was a "loving husband, father,
grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor and friend."
"Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love," the family said, requesting
privacy.
Piedmont Police Chief Fred Shavies, who previously served as a deputy chief in
the Oakland Police Department said he was a friend, mentee and long time
admirer of Beam.
"John was so much more than a coach," he said. "He was a father figure to
thousands of not only men but young women in our community."
Shavies said he met Beam when he was in the eighth grade and he supported him
after Shavies lost his father in high school, calling him "an absolutely
incredible human being." He asked how did Beam leave his mark on so many people
"with just 24 hours in a day, right?"
Two of Beam's former players --- brothers Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright, now in
the NFL with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints --- posted on social
media after the shooting.
"You mean the world to me," Rejzohn Wright said in a post with a photo of Beam.
His brother shared a photo of the coach alongside a broken heart emoji.
Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as a "giant" in the city who mentored
thousands of young people, including her own nephew, and "gave Oakland's youth
their best chance" at success.
"For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our
community is shaken alongside his family," Lee said.
Beam, who was serving as athletic director, joined Laney College in 2004 as a
running backs coach and became head coach in 2012, winning two league titles.
He retired from coaching in 2024 but stayed on at the school to shape its
athletic programs. According to his biography on the college's website, at
least 20 of his players have gone on to the NFL.
Beam's shooting came a day after a student was shot at Oakland's Skyline High
School. The student is in stable condition. Beam had previously worked at
Skyline High School, and the suspect had played football there after Beam had
already left for another job.
Lee said the back-to-back shootings on Oakland campuses demonstrate "the gun
violence crisis playing out in real time." She gave no indication that they
were connected.
___
Catalini reported from Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Associated Press reporters
Julie Watson in San Diego and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.
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