A celebration and memorial for legendary Oakland football coach John Beam is scheduled for this week on the Laney College campus.
The event, titled “Light the Path, Light the Field: A Luminaria Walk Honoring the Legacy of Coach John Beam,” kicks off at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Laney Bistro.
Participants will gather there and then walk to the football field along a path Beam himself often trod since coming to the school in 2004 as an assistant coach and then since 2012 as head coach of the Laney Eagles football team.
At the time of his death, Beam was working as the college’s athletic director. A former Skyline High School football coach, Beam was a long-time mentor in the Oakland community and was made famous for his participation in the “Last Chance U” documentary series on Netflix.
“In a collective walk from the Laney College campus to the football stadium, we will reflect on the journey Coach Beam walked with generations of students — from learning and mentorship to teamwork and community building — illuminating the path to the field he loved,” college spokesperson Mark Johnson said in an email.
Luminaria walk to trace coach’s legacy
Before the walk, participants will hear a few short speeches from college and community leaders reflecting on Beam and his legacy, Johnson said.
“After the speeches, we will collect the luminaria and walk 0.3 miles to the football stadium to place the luminaria on the field and observe a short video program on the Laney scoreboard,” he said.
Luminarias are traditional Southwestern paper lanterns, often made using small paper bags, sand and candles.
The 66-year-old was shot shortly before noon on Nov. 13 at the Laney College fieldhouse and died at Highland Hospital the following morning.
Police arrested Cedric Irving Jr., 27, in connection with Beam’s death and, if convicted of murder with special circumstances, he could face up to 50 years to life in prison.
Irving is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail and his next court date is a plea hearing scheduled for Dec. 16 in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland.
Irving played football at Skyline High School but did not play for Beam, according to police, who described the shooting as a “targeted incident” but didn’t provide a possible motive.
Irving was not a student or employee at Laney but was known to loiter on or near the campus. A firearm found in Irving’s possession was allegedly the same caliber as rounds found at the shooting scene, according to police.
More information about the memorial event can be found on the Peralta Community College District’s website. Participants are encouraged to carpool or take public transit to the campus.
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