In the heart of Oakland’s vibrant yet volatile community, a devastating chapter closed on November 14, 2025, when beloved football coach and athletic director John Beam succumbed to gunshot wounds at age 66, just a day after a brazen targeted attack at Laney College shattered the lives of countless young athletes he mentored. Known worldwide from Netflix’s gripping docuseries Last Chance U Season 5, where he showcased his unyielding passion for giving second chances to overlooked talents, Beam wasn’t just a coach; he was a beacon of hope, transforming troubled teens into NFL stars and community leaders with his tough-love philosophy that echoed across gridirons from Skyline High School to Laney’s storied fields. The incident unfolded around noon on November 13 in the college’s fieldhouse, a place Beam helped build into a powerhouse of redemption stories, when 27-year-old Cedric Irving Jr. allegedly entered with intent, firing shots in what authorities quickly deemed a personal vendetta rather than random chaos, leaving Beam critically injured and rushing him to a nearby hospital where he fought valiantly before passing early Friday morning. Irving, a former Skyline High football player who loitered around Laney but never overlapped with Beam’s tenure there, was apprehended without resistance at an Oakland commuter rail station just after 3 a.m. on November 14, thanks to swift police work involving campus cameras, resident footage, and transit surveillance that traced his movements like a high-stakes playbook unraveling in reverse; he’s now jailed on murder and concealed weapon charges, with arraignment set for November 18, as his brother Samuael Irving grapples with disbelief, describing a once-promising athlete derailed by family rifts, job loss, and eviction, whispering, I hope it isn’t him… the Cedric I knew wasn’t capable of murder, but things had spiraled. Beams legacy, forged over four decades in Oakland’s trenches, towers larger than the tragedy: starting as a running backs coach at Laney in 2004, ascending to head coach in 2012 where he clinched two league titles and a 2018 California state championship, retiring from the sidelines in 2024 only to pour his wisdom into the athletic directors role, all while sending at least 20 players to the NFL including brothers Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright of the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, who poured out raw emotion online with Rejzohn posting a cherished photo captioned You mean the world to me and Nahshon simply a broken heart emoji that captured the void left behind. As vigils flickered outside the hospital Thursday night with hundreds gathering in tearful solidarity, tributes flooded social media from X to Instagram, where #RIPJohnBeam trended with over 50,000 mentions in hours, fans and former players sharing stories of how he didnt just coach football but rebuilt souls, one huddle at a time; Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, whose own nephew thrived under Beams guidance at Skyline, called him a giant who gave our youth their best shot at success, while Piedmont Police Chief Fred Shavies, a personal mentee after losing his father young, choked up remembering John as a father figure to thousands of men and women, wondering aloud how one man touched so many lives in just 24 hours a day. Beams family, in a poignant statement, portrayed him as the loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor, and friend whose absence aches profoundly yet whose impact overflows with the love pouring in from every corner, requesting privacy amid the grief that mirrors Oaklands broader gun violence epidemic, highlighted by this being the second school shooting in two days after a teen was wounded at Skyline High. Even Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, no stranger to advocating for reform, paused during a presser to honor Beam, weaving condolences with a renewed call for change in a city reeling from loss after loss, from Quinn Boyer to now this irreplaceable force. As flowers pile at Laneys gates and the community vows to carry his torch, John Beams story reminds us that true champions dont just win games; they rewrite destinies, and in his untimely exit, hes ignited a fire for justice, healing, and the second chances he championed so fiercely. For more on his unbreakable spirit, exclusive player interviews, and ways to support Oaklands youth programs in his name, subscribe today and join the movement to keep his light burning brightdont miss a beat in this unfolding legacy!
Last Chance U star John Beam tragically dies after targeted shooting at Laney College—Netflix coach’s legacy of turning lives around ends in Oakland gun violence. Exclusive timeline, family grief, NFL player reactions, and arrest updates that’ll leave you stunned. Honor his memory now!
John Beam death, Last Chance U coach shooting, Laney College shooting 2025, Cedric Irving arrest John Beam, Oakland football coach killed, John Beam Netflix tribute, RIP John Beam legacy
Hashtags: #JohnBeam #LastChanceU #RIPJohnBeam #LaneyCollegeShooting #OaklandTragedy #FootballMentor #CedricIrvingArrest
