MitchMash: News cycle may move, but pain, suffering from John Beam's murder still lingers

A week after Last Chance U coach's Last Rites, senseless killing can't overshadow powerful life, but leaves many hearts empty

Former Laney coach John Beam, star of the last season of Last Chance U, was pronounced dead Nov. 14 a day after suffering a gunshot wound to the head at the college. / Courtesy of Laney College

It’s been a week since the horrific event. The unfathomable. The senseless, brutal murder of John Beam. 

I can’t get it out of my core. My veins. My head. 

What in the world goes through someone’s brain to target the soul of a city and ends all that life, all that hope, all that strength? When we all need it most. When Oakland is so desperately pleading for light. Leadership. A hero. 

They’ve had it for the last 40 years with a Beam of energy that carried his name, the former high school football coach at Skyline, the program architect at Laney College, the TV star of Last Chance U, who wanted desperately to call it Best Chance U.  

Turns out it was his last chance. His final moments alert and alive on that campus before a loon with a gun, hearing voices, swayed by “witchcraft,” took the life of a man who gave so many in need a better one. A more secure path. A road map to hope and prosperity, to education and expansion, to even a career of fame and wealth. 

I don’t know how many players he sent to the NFL, I’ve read up to 20, but I surely remember one of if not the last one. 

Missed one

The last time I talked to Beam was a phone call a month or so ago when I had neglected to mention one of his prized pupils in a high school sports column I’ve done regularly for more than 20 years in the San Francisco Chronicle. 

I mentioned three Bay Area alums —  Jake Tonges (Los Gatos) and Monte Vista-Danville grads Zach Ertz and Nate Landman — but early Tuesday morning I got a call from that unmistakable strong, raspy and clear voice telling me know I missed one and to call him back. 

It was always a positive conversation with John Beam. Even if the topic was negative or hard. I don’t think he ever had a beef with me personally, but there was always a push, a prod, a reminder to dig a little deeper, search a little wider to find a positive story, a rags to riches story. 

And on this day, he just didn’t let me know that Chicago Bears’ cornerback Nahshon Wright, the pride of James Logan High School, and of course bad ass for Laney, had a 74-yard pick 6 and seven tackles in a season-opening 27-24 loss against the Vikings. 

He told me I needed to talk to the kid. Get his pulse. Hear his story. 

What a family

“His brother Rejzohn too,” Beam said. “He plays for the Saints. Two brothers in the NFL. Unheard of. Great kids. What a family.” 

Both played for Beam at Laney, including Nahshon, now 27, on the 2018 state title team. Rejzohn, now 25, played on the 2020 team that was featured on Last Chance U. 

Their cousin Mekhi Blackmon, from nearby Menlo-Atherton and a College of San Mateo alum, is a cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts. He’s 26. 

“I’m gonna go see them (Nahshon and Rejzohn) in a couple weeks (Oct. 19) when they play each other,” Beam beamed. “Gonna be great. You should write a story.” 

Wright brothers

I should have.

Instead of the one I’m writing now.

I still could, of course. Beam didn’t want the story to be about him. 

He rattled off three or four other former Laney and local high school kids playing either in college or the NFL. I was on a deadline and didn’t jot them down. 

I hadn’t thought about the Wright brothers — wonder how many times they were ridiculously compared/punned to aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur? — until Sunday. 

Two days following Beam’s death, Nahshon went high into the air to intercept another pass against the Vikings, this one in the end zone late in the half of the Bears’ 19-17 win in Minnesota. 

As most of America has seen, Nahshon burst into a flood of tears in the end zone. He later told reporters that Beam immediately stepped into his life after his own father died from gunfire in 2018. 

The lineage of bullets is nauseating. 

Gaining an angel

“When my dad was killed, he came to my house and got me out of bed,” Nahshon told a pack of reporters, holding back tears. “He was someone I could confide in, someone that I just love dearly. … He did a lot for me and my brother and my family. He’s been there. He’s been there every step of the way, and it won’t stop. I gained an angel.” 

When I saw both the end zone emotion — heard the postgame soundbite — I got emotional too. Reminded me of how Beam talked about all his players, rarely from a talent stand point, but a personal perspective. His descriptions were from the inside out, revealing their character or heart or work ethic, opposed from a 40-time or vertical leap. 

I was reminded too that Beam didn’t mention in our recent conversation that he had intercepted the Wrights’  tragedy and redirected their lives like he did. Like he surely did year-after-year, season-after-season, player-after-player, life-after-life.

Heaven sent

I was reminded that though the lives he already touched will forever be influenced in a strong, powerful way — maybe in a weird way even more so because we all need to pick up his void — — but the future lives he might have touched are gone. 

Future players. His own grandkids. Younger journalists. 

Since I was not a social friend of Beam, the best way I knew how to spread his word and life is by retelling those told to me. 

Some here I sought out for a story I co-authored, some I read, most came organically  just by doing my job this week. 

All felt Heaven sent, beamed in from another sphere. 

Hearty tributes/columns on the great John Beam 

• Bay Area News Group’s Joseph Dykus with tremendous insight, Oakland perspective 

• ESPN’s Tim Keown, a Bay Area native who wrote a book that featured Beam - One of the nation’s best who knew Beam inside/out

• Beautiful comprehensive largely coaching community reaction, and others from BANG

• Via the San Francisco Chronicle by myself and takeout writer reporter Connor Letourneau 

Campolindo football coach Kevin Macy 

Legendary 68-year-old Campolindo football coach Kevin Macy had just started his career in 1980 at Skyline. The state’s sixth-winningest current active coach was at first the head JV coach for Tony Fardella’s staff, but then joined him as line coach in 1984. 

The year before, Beam strutted in full of spitfire and fury, handsome and barrel chested. Beam handled the defense, Macy the line and Fardella everything else. 

“It was only a three-man staff on a team that went undefeated and was No. 1 in Bay Area football,” Macy wrote. “We had a big preseason win over De La Salle.” 

The trio made quite a staff and the Titans were immediate Bay Area powers, but according to Macy: “It was clear that John was a force on the field and destined to be a big figure in Bay Area football. He is Mr. Football in Oakland.” 

Beam had plenty of chances to move up or go to other areas of the state and beyond. But he was already an outsider, a San Diego native. 

“His legacy is how someone from outside of Oakland could commit to stay and impact so many Oakland kids.” 

After coaching for three seasons together, Macy moved on to Oakland Tech to be the head coach and Beam took over at Skyline in 1987. Eventually Macy entered and drove past the Caldecott Tunnel, landing the job at Campolindo in 1996. He’s won six North Coast Section titles there, two state titles and won 286 games against 134 losses with three ties overall, according to the Cali-Hi record book. 

He never forgot his days at Skyline or Beam, and would take his Campolindo kids back to Skyline for summer football camp. 

“When John ran drills at his camp, the kids could feel the focus, intensity and passion that flowed out of John’s coaching,” Macy said. “It was a tradition for Campo kids to attend that camp.” 

It was a more organic venture for all his players to watch Beam and Last Chance U that chronicled the 2019 season and premiered in July of 2020. The team would watch it religiously together. 

“It was the most captivating production of all those Last Chance U programs,” Macy said.
“Our kids couldn’t wait to get back to Laney for the summer camp and be part of the John Beam experience.

“That final Last Chance U episode did John and Oakland proud.” 

But then COVID-19 hit. Macy and Beam saw less and less of each other. 

Macy attended John’s retirement party last spring. 

“My last conversation with John was at his July football camp,” Macy said. “We talked about how we both had granddaughters. John was so excited to be spending more time with his granddaughters. 

“I watched his daughters (Monica and Sonjha) grow up to be impressive people. It breaks my heart for the family that after all the years John logged into football and Oakland, that John’s reward was to be the time he was planning for the family.” 

After the shock of Beam’s death, Macy had some time to reflect, he said. 

“John was a big part of my connection to my early days,” he said. “We cut teeth in the same trenches. It’s a special bond that stayed strong over the years. 

“Like so many people, I will carry an empty spot in my heart.” 

Riordan football coach Adhir Ravipati

The fourth-year coach at Riordan is in the middle of a historic season. His Crusaders just won their 11th straight game Saturday in the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals, beating Salinas 42-9. 

Ravipati earlier coached at Menlo-Atherton, where he won a state title in 2018, stepped away, got back into coaching at College of San Mateo. 

He and three from his staff coached at the junior college level, so all claim a part of Beam and what he stood for. Ravipati, however, just happened to befriend Beam at a coaches camp last spring. 

“We’ve all been in kind of a state of shock the last 24 hours,” he said the day Beam was pronounced deceased. “If you’re from the Bay and have anything to do with football, you know John Beam. He’s a legend in every regard. He gave so much back to so many kids and so many coaches. It’s all so incredibly horrible and sad.” 

 Bishop O’Dowd boys basketball coach Lou Richie

Richie and Beam are linked for their love and devotion to Oakland. Richie, however, was raised in Oakland, loved basketball and at a young age, knew of Beam. Many of his elementary and middle school friends went to Skyline, while Richie opted for the private school, Bishop O’Dowd. 

Mutual friends, including one of Beam’s closest friends, Chris Kyriacou, connected Beam and Richie, who learned randomly of the Laney shooting but didn’t think much of it. He texted Beam just to make sure he wasn’t involved in any way and to stay cool during the lockdown. 

When he didn’t get anything back, it didn’t really concern Richie and frankly, when he learned indeed Beam had been shot, he didn’t panic either.  

“I called his cell and left a message,” Richie said. “I told him to hang in there and can’t wait to have lunch again with him. I made it light but totally encouraging because of course he was going to come through.” 

But he didn’t. The caliber of bullet sprayed to parts of his brain that took his life. Richie, like all, was flabbergasted, floored and borderline ill. 

“John was really a champion of Oakland,” he said. “He really strived for excellence and fought for all our kids. No one in the past 40 years has been a greater advocate for Oakland kids than him.” 

Former Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland area football coach/resident Paul Perenon

From 1985 to 2009 Perenon coached at the Oakland private school, recording a 209-75-2 record.

He never coached a game against Beam, but both competed for athletes to attend respective schools. Perenon was later head coach at Mt. Eden-Hayward and assisted at Piedmont and Oakland High.  

“What McClymonds is doing (hasn’t lost an Oakland Athletic League on the field since 2009) on the field, John did at Skyline. They didn’t lose a (league) game throughout the 1990s. John wrote the original blueprint.” 

"He not only got his guys playing at a high level but got them recognized to leave the area and get college scholarships.”

Original unsubstantiated reports on the shooting was that a homeless person was rummaging through the Laney fieldhouse, taking items. Beam approached and was shot. Details of exactly what happened are still sketchy but police have said that 27-year-old Cedrick Irving Jr. was fixated and allegedly targeted Beam. 

According to multiple reports, Irving confessed to the crime and believed that Beam had used witchcraft against him. 

Beam was immediately transported to Highland Hospital on Nov. 13 and pronounced dead less than 24 hours later.  

 “(Beam) did a lot of great things at Laney even after coaching as the athletic director,” Perenon said. “So it doesn't surprise me one bit if those stories are true that he was protecting his territory. It makes perfect sense that he was protecting something important to him. That’s who John was. He’d protect his family. Protect his program. Protect all the kids that came under his umbrella. 

“His life wasn’t going to end randomly like getting hit by a car or dying in an airplane crash. It was him, protecting this city. Our city.” 

Perenon, who has lived the last two decades just blocks from Beam in the Oakland Hills near Skyline, reflected on the tragedy, just a day after a Skyline High School shooting.  

“I mean, how much more can Oakland take?,” he said. “Maybe I’m getting jaded or numb because I’ve lived here all my life. At this point, none of it is surprising. It’s just gut punch after gut punch. And it’s attacking our soul.”