Jack Hoffman, a Nebraska Cornhuskers superfan battling cancer who gained national attention for his spring game touchdown catch when he was 7, has died. He was 19 years old.
Hoffman died Wednesday of brain cancer, said Kylie Dockter, executive director of the Team Jack Foundation. He had battled new, more aggressive tumors late last year.
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Cancer survivor Jack Hoffman before pledging to be drug-free during halftime of the Nebraska NCAA college football spring game in Lincoln, Nebraska, 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 bitter battle with brain cancer, a journey that inspired many countless lives and left a legacy of hope, strength and resilience,” the foundation said in a statement on social media.
“Through his fight, Jack touched lives around the world. From his unforgettable 69-yard touchdown run in the Nebraska Spring Game that captured the hearts of millions to the countless families who found comfort and support through work of the Team Jack Foundation, his impact will be felt for generations 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 children and. families we have helped and in hope he gave so much.
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 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 struck up a friendship with running back Rex Burkhead. The two men, along with Hoffman’s family, later visited then-President Obama, who gave the youngster a new soccer ball and told him he was proud of him.
“I love you buddy. Tell Jesus we say hello,” Burkhead wrote in an article on X.
Jack Hoffman, left, alongside 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 pre-law student at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
