Thousands gather for John Beam memorial service in Oakland
OAKLAND — Those who knew legendary football coach John Beam the best always said he cared only about the number of lives he aided off the field and not the wins he accumulated on it. At the Henry J. Kaiser Center on Saturday, his success in that endeavor was unmistakable.
Thousands gathered to honor Beam’s life at a public memorial service after his sudden death in November. The gesture was one of those victories that Beam discussed as a “win off the field,” a phrase he repeated more than once during the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U.”
Rezjohn Wright, a star defensive back on the Laney College team featured on “Last Chance U” and a current cornerback for the New Orleans Saints, said Beam treated everyone he met like they were his children.
“Anybody he was around he impacted positively,” Wright said. “It’s a testament to how he was. … Him being who he was taught me how to be a better person.”
Among those in attendance shortly before 2 p.m. included about 20 of Beam’s teammates from Kearney High School in San Diego, Class of 1977, and Marvel Smith, who began playing for Beam at Skyline High and later won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Smith said he never wanted to play football and preferred baseball, but Beam was relentless in his recruitment efforts.
“He saw something in me. I had no clue what it was, but I went after it to please him,” Smith said. “I always hear his voice in all aspects of my life.”
Also expected to be in attendance were Mayor Barbara Lee, U.S. Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Beam’s wife, Nanci, and their daughters, Monica and Sonjha, along with luminaries from the Bay Area sports world and beyond.
The heartache shared by mourners was intensified by the shattering nature of his loss. Beam, 66, died on Nov. 14, 2025, a day after he was shot in the athletic field house at Laney College. He had remained the athletic director of the school after stepping down from a 45-year football coaching career after the 2024 season.
A legendary figure in Oakland sports, Beam built Skyline High School into Oakland’s best public high school football program for more than a decade. He won 160 games at Skyline and 11 Oakland Section crowns from 1987-2003. More than 100 of his players played college football.
In 13 seasons as the head coach at Laney, the Eagles won 60% of their games and beat Ventura College to capture the California Community College Athletic Association championship in 2018. Approximately 90% of Beam’s players at Laney College graduated or went to four-year schools. Many were expected to attend Saturday.
The gathering Saturday was meant to recognize Beam as more than a coach, with a personality so large it was hard to depict it on a television show. It was about the man with the bushy mustache, the unending light in his soul that drove him to help others less fortunate, and his famous call of “two claps, ready, ready,” that he used when addressing the legions of players who knelt in a huddle in front of him.
Saturday’s event was the second public gathering in Oakland to honor Beam’s life. Laney College hosted a memorial walk on Dec.13, 2025, from the college bistro to the campus football stadium. Jamaal Kizziee, who coached football at Laney after Beam retired, said, “He touched lives all over the place. We all got brought together through that sense of care. That’s Oakland.” The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has charged Cedric Irving, 27, in Beam’s killing; court documents indicate that Irving’s attorney may pursue a mental-health defense. Irving was a one-time Laney College student who did not play for Beam.
This is a developing report. Check back for updates.