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Jack Hoffman, a Nebraska Cornhuskers The cancer-battling superfan who captured the nation’s attention at age 7 with his touchdown run in the spring game has died. He was 19.
Hoffmann died of brain cancer On Wednesday, Kylie Dockter, executive director of the Team Jack Foundation, said. He had been battling new and more aggressive tumors late last year.
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Cancer survivor Jack Hoffman before making a drug-free pledge during halftime of the NCAA spring college football game at Nebraska 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 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 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 last for generations reverberate, 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 he gave to so many.”
Hoffman was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011, and his parents helped found the foundation to support research efforts to combat 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 years old.
The foundation has raised more than $12.6 million since 2013.
Hoffman went viral during the 2013 spring game at Nebraska after the coaching staff invited him on 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 running back Rex Burkhead. The two later visited then-President Obama, along with Hoffman’s family, who gave the teenager a new soccer ball and told him he was proud of him.
“I love you, buddy. Say Jesus, we say hello,” Burkhead wrote in a post on X.
Jack Hoffman (left) accepts the award for Best Moment with his father Andy Hoffman at the ESPY Awards on 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 a law student at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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