Former Laney College football coach John Beam was in critical condition Friday at an Oakland hospital a day after he was shot on campus, and the shooter remained at large.
Beam is a football icon in Oakland, leaving his mark on young players on and off the field at Laney and before that at Skyline High School.
The outpouring of well wishes for his recovery is evident of the deep connection Beam has to his players and community beyond football. Some of those people he touched spoke about that connection.
“I think that he is a man of tremendous integrity. A man who was strong, who represented Oakland in a very public way. But also a man who gave so many young men a second chance, an opportunity,” said former Oakland police chief LeRonne Armstrong, who has known the coach for 30 years. “So, many athletes who made mistakes in their past were able to go to Beam and ask him to trust them and give them an opportunity, and he did that.”
Benjie Ross, a former player for Beam at Skyline High also feels that connection.
“When you encounter people in your lifetime that help mold you and shape you, it might take you aback,” Ross said, “but sometimes … you hear the saying iron sharpens iron, and you need that in your life.”
The shooting happened just before noon Thursday inside the campus field house. Police are still searching for the shooter.
Anyone with information about the shooting should contact Oakland police.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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