"Beam retired from coaching after last season and remained as the school's athletic director. Beam and I first met more than 30 years ago, and I've sat in that office several times, the one with the wall covered with framed and signed jerseys from the players he coached who went on to play in the NFL. The office is the first one on the left at the top of an open staircase in the school's field house. The door was always open."
"His death, and the circumstances surrounding it, rippled across the country in ways that are difficult to explain. How did this happen? How did this man captivate this city and this region? How did his death resonate throughout the country, to the point where Warriors coach Steve Kerr wore a John Beam T-shirt for his pregame press conference Friday night and began his remarks with a testament to Beam's importance in the community?"
John Beam retired from coaching after the last season and remained as Laney College's athletic director. He welcomed visitors into an office lined with framed, signed jerseys from former players who reached the NFL. His death rippled nationally, prompting tributes such as Warriors coach Steve Kerr wearing a John Beam T-shirt and electronic billboards bearing the message A Life of Love and Impact. Beam gained wider recognition from the Netflix docuseries Last Chance U, which chronicled Laney's 2019 season. He was known for being authentic and deeply connected to Oakland. He fought for practical supports for players affected by gentrification, including a secure parking lot for students sleeping in vehicles and involvement in programs teaching students to build mini-houses.
Read at ESPN.com
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