Jack Hoffman, a Nebraska Cornhuskers superfan battling cancer who captured the nation’s attention for his spring game touchdown run when he was 7, has died. He was 19 years old.
Hoffman died of brain cancer on Wednesday, said Team Jack Foundation CEO Kylie Dockter. He had battled new, more aggressive tumors late last year.
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Cancer survivor Jack Hoffman before making his 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 great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Jack Hoffman, the brave namesake of the Team Jack Foundation. Jack passed away after a long, hard battle with 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 battle, Jack touched lives everywhere. From his unforgettable 69-yard touchdown run during the Nebraska Spring Game that captured the hearts of millions to the countless families who found solace and support through the work of the Team Jack Foundation, his Jack may no longer be with us in person, but his legacy lives on in the work of the Team Jack Foundation, in the lives of the children and families we have helped, and in the hope that gave them so many.”
Hoffman was initially 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 years old.
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 call a play in the fourth quarter. Hoffman ran for a 69-yard touchdown and was the talk of the sports world for several days.
In the midst of all this, he began a friendship with runner Rex Burkhead. The two, along with Hoffman’s family, later visited then-President Obama, who gave the young man a new football and told him he was proud of him.
“Love you buddy. Tell Jesus we say hello,” Burkhead wrote in a post on X.
Jack Hoffman, left, with his father, Andy Hoffman, accepts the award for best moment 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 a law student at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
