John Beam, a football coach featured in Netflix’s sports docuseries “Last Chance U,” died Friday morning after being shot on an Oakland college campus on Thursday. He was 66. A suspect has been arrested, Oakland police told local outlet NBC Bay Area.
“Coach Beam passed away this morning from the gunshot wound that he sustained yesterday,” Oakland authorities said. They arrested 27-year-old Cedric Irving Jr. without incident shortly before Beam’s death was announced. The shooting took place at the field house on Laney College in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday. Beam was a former football coach at Laney before becoming the athletic director.
“We are devastated that John Beam, our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor, and friend, has passed,” Beam’s family said in a statement read by police at a news conference. “Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love and support from all who cared about him. We are deeply grateful for your continued prayers, well wishes and thoughts. At this time, we kindly ask everyone to fully respect our family’s privacy.”
Beam was the head football coach of the Laney College Eagles when the team appeared on Season 5 of Netflix’s “Last Chance U.” He joined Laney as the running backs coach in 2004 and became the head coach in 2014. His program won two league titles under his stewardship, and 20 of his former students had gone on to play football in the NFL. Beam’s “Last Chance U” season showcased his leadership on and off the field, and it was the final installment of the Netflix series.
