Beloved Oakland football coach John Beam remembered by former players, community

By Da Lin

For former Skyline High School and NFL player William Blackwell Jr., the news of Coach John Beam’s death has been devastating.

“A lot of memories here,” Blackwell said, walking around the Skyline football field where he played three years for Beam.

“I started to cry. Still in shock, hurt, angry, disappointed. [There are] still questions around why,” he said as he reflected on the moment he learned of the killing.

Blackwell played for Beam in the early 1990s before earning a scholarship to San Diego State University. Beam continued to look out for him even after he left for college.

“My first year, the [San Diego State football] coaches got fired. And [Coach Beam] was worried about how was that going to affect me. He flew down [to see me]. He was coming to make sure that I was alright,” Blackwell recalled.

Blackwell went on to be drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, launching a five-year NFL career, before returning to the East Bay to coach youth football. Through it all, he remained close to Beam, whom he considered a father figure.

“He spoke the truth to me.  He believed in me. He had my back 100 percent of the time — good, bad, and ugly — he was standing with me,” Blackwell said.

Beam was known for building a culture of success, combining competitive practices with strong classroom discipline.

“When grades came out… everybody’s grades were on the chalkboard. He showed your grade point average to everybody on the team,” Blackwell said.  “That kind of held us all accountable. Our team was competitive in the classroom, and our practices were on fire,” 

Laney College officials said Beam coached more than 2,500 players over 45 years at Skyline and Laney, including more than 30 who went on to play in the NFL. In 2020, he gained national attention through Netflix’s Last Chance U, showcasing his passion, dedication, and Oakland pride.

“When you’re a coach, you are a teacher. But as a coach, do you know how to teach? So he knew how to teach what we were doing. That was why we had so much success,” Blackwell said.

Even those who never played for Beam respected him. At a Saturday morning Men’s Unity Hike in the Oakland Hills, participants held a moment of silence in his honor.

“The Men’s Unity Hike is put together with a couple of hike groups out here in Oakland, just coming together as Black men trying to find safe spaces.  And we had a moment of silence for him before the hike,” said Uzo Nwadugbo, co-founder of The Black Neighborhood.

Authorities said Cedric Irving Jr., 27, of Oakland, has been arrested in connection with Beam’s killing. Police said that while Irving played football at Skyline High School, he never played for Beam — neither during Beam’s years at Skyline nor at Laney College. Investigators believed the suspect targeted the coach and was known to loiter around the Laney campus. Irving is set to appear in court Tuesday.

Blackwell last saw Beam at a recent youth football game he was coaching, a moment made even more special when Blackwell’s young son struck up a conversation with the coach.

“I was so happy that he was developing his own relationship with Coach Beam, which made me feel really good that he was comfortable enough to go and speak with him. And that was the last time I saw him alive. My boy was able to speak to him,” Blackwell said.

A makeshift memorial near the site of Beam’s shooting has drawn community members leaving flowers and lighting candles. Beam was 66 years old.