Jack Hofman, op Nebraska Cornhuskers Superfan battling cancer who captured the nation’s attention during his spring game touchdown run when he was 7 years old has died. He was 19.
Hofman died of brain cancer said on Wednesday, Kylie Dockter, executive director of the Team Jack Foundation. He had been battling new and more aggressive tumors late last year.
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Cancer survivor Jack Hoffman before taking 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 with brain cancer, a journey that inspired countless lives and left us with a legacy of hope, strength and resilience,” the foundation said in a statement on social media.
“Throughout his struggle, Jack touched lives far and wide. From his unforgettable 69-yard touchdown run during the Nebraska Spring Game, which captivated the hearts of millions, to the countless families who found comfort and support through the work of the Team Jack Foundation, His impact will reverberate for generations to come. 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 hopes that will continue. he has to us given so much.”
Hoffman was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011, and his parents helped create the foundation to support research efforts to end brain cancer in children.
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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 on a play in the fourth quarter. Hoffman ran for a 69-yard touchdown, and he was the talk of the sports world for several days.
In the midst of all this, he began 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.
“I love you friend. Tell Jesus we say hi,” Burkhead wrote in a post on X.
Jack Hoffman, left, accepts the award for best moment with his father, Andy Hoffman, during the ESPY Awards, July 17, 2013, at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. (John Shearer/Invision/AP, file)
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Hoffman played football at Atkinson High School and graduated in May. He was pre-law at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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