Jack Hoffman, a Nebraska Cornhuskers superfan who battled cancer and who captured the nation’s attention for his spring touchdown run when he was 7 years old, has died. He was 19.
Hoffman died of brain cancer Wednesday, Team Jack Foundation Executive Director Kylie Dockter said. He had been battling new and more aggressive tumors at the end of last year.
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Cancer survivor Jack Hoffman before making a drug-free pledge during halftime of Nebraska’s NCAA college football spring game in Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Jack Hoffman, the courageous namesake of the Team Jack Foundation. Jack passed away after a long and hard-fought battle against brain cancer, a journey that inspired countless lives and left a legacy of hope, strength and resilience,” the foundation said in a statement on social media.
“Through his struggle, Jack touched lives far and wide. From his unforgettable 69-yard touchdown run during the Nebraska Spring Game that captured the hearts of millions to the countless families who found comfort and support through the work of the Team Jack Foundation, his impact will resonates for generations. Jack may no longer be with us personally, but his legacy lives on in the work of the Team Jack Foundation, in the lives of the children and families we helped, and in the hope that he gave to so many.”
Hoffman was originally diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011, and his parents helped launch the foundation to support research efforts to end pediatric brain cancer.
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Hoffman’s father, Andy, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2020 and died on March 1, 2021. He was 42.
The foundation has raised more than $12.6 million since 2013.
Hoffman went viral during Nebraska’s 2013 spring game after the coaching staff invited him to play a play in the fourth quarter. Hoffman ran for a 69-yard touchdown and he was the talk of the sports world for days.
In the midst of it all, he started a friendship with running back Rex Burkhead. The two, along with Hoffman’s family, later visited then-President Obama, who presented the youngster with a new football and told him he was proud of him.
“Love you buddy. Tell Jesus we say hi,” Burkhead wrote in a post on X.
Jack Hoffman, left, with his father, Andy Hoffman, accepts the Best Moment award at the ESPY Awards on July 17, 2013, at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. (John Shearer/Invision/AP, File)
Hoffman played football at Atkinson High School and graduated in May. He was pre-law at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
