The beloved Bay Area athletic coach, who stewarded the Laney College football team for more than four decades, was wounded in his office, according to a local councilman. John Beam, former football coach featured in Netflix series Last Chance U, shot on California campus The beloved Bay Area athletic coach, who stewarded the Laney College football team for more than four decades, was wounded in his office, according to a local councilman. By Emlyn Travis :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/EmlynTravisauthorphotocba6765b433b4f93b9398d18053153b1.jpg) Emlyn Travis is a news writer at .

The beloved Bay Area athletic coach, who stewarded the Laney College football team for more than four decades, was wounded in his office, according to a local councilman.

John Beam, former football coach featured in Netflix series Last Chance U, shot on California campus

The beloved Bay Area athletic coach, who stewarded the Laney College football team for more than four decades, was wounded in his office, according to a local councilman.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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November 14, 2025 10:10 a.m. ET

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Football coach John Beam in 'Last Chance U'. Credit:

John Beam, the beloved Bay Area former football coach who starred in the final season of the Netflix sports docuseries *Last Chance U*, was shot and wounded on the Laney College campus in Oakland on Thursday, reports *The New York Times*.

The incident occurred at noon in the Laney Field House sports complex, the Peralta Community College District confirmed in a press release. The 66-year-old athletic director, who retired from coaching the community college's football team after more than four decades last year, was transported to a local hospital. His current condition is unknown.

The Oakland Police Department and Laney College did not immediately respond to **'s request for comment. **

John Beam in 'Last Chance U'.

The Oakland Police Department placed the community college under active lockdown until it determined that there was no longer an active threat on campus, the district said. The campus was then closed for the rest of the day. **

"The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our highest priority, and we are working closely with police and emergency personnel to ensure the campus remains protected," the district said. "This is a frightening moment for our community. We encourage everyone to follow official instructions and rely only on verified communications from the district and law enforcement."

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The city's acting police chief, James Beere, said in a press conference Thursday that the shooting was an isolated incident and is under active investigation. He described the suspect as a male wearing a black hoodie and dark clothing. No motive was given.**

Oakland mayor Barbara Lee reacted to the shooting in a statement on Thursday. "My thoughts are with Coach John Beam and his loved ones," she wrote. "We are praying for him."

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She continued, "Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people. For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family."**

Lee noted that this is the second shooting on an Oakland campus in two days, calling it "devastating."

"Schools should be the safest spaces in our city," she wrote. "We need guns off our streets now. We are standing together, praying for Coach Beam and his loved ones."

John Beam in 'Last Chance U'. Netflix

Beam was profiled in 2020 in the final season of Netflix's *Last Chance U*, which chronicled the lives of the Laney College Eagles football team as they fought to overcome both personal and academic challenges and achieve their dreams of becoming Division I athletes. The series cast a spotlight on his coaching philosophy, with Beam taking the students under his wing and stressing the importance of the team's "Laney Built" motto.**

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Published: November 17, 2025 at 10:57AM on Source: RED MAG

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