Hundreds of people gathered Friday night in the East Bay to celebrate the life of legendary Oakland football coach John Beam. The East Bay icon was shot at Laney College last month, eventually dying from the gunshot injuries the following day. Organizers at the event say the large turnout repr esented beam’s impact both on and off the football field. “Everybody is still in shock. We felt like we needed a time to all come together collectively get together and love on one another, and embrace on each other during this hard time,” said Felicia Carr, a Skyline High alumni. Beam coached at the high school for decades, winning 15 league titles. But the stories being shared during the event went beyond the gridiron with former players sharing lessons learned both on and off the field, that they carry with them. “Pretty much everybody hear who played for Beam I’m sure was a Beam guy, some people weren’t Beam guys probably couldn’t follow directions, coached too hard whatever the case may be,” said Frank Summers, who played for Coach Beam. “Coach Beam subliminally would put things on the wall to motivate us when he wasn’t even standing there, so I want to appreciate him for that,” said Joe Bates, who also played for Coach Beam. Many former players remembered how the coach was there for them when times got tough. “You can come to him for anything, I went through depression, and he would just talk to me,” said William Anderson, former NFL player. “They don’t make them like that anymore.” A memorial for coach Beam is set for next Wednesday at Laney College. ...read more read less