jack hoffmanThe cancer patient who captured the hearts of Nebraska football fans and inspired the nation at the age of 7. ran for a touchdown Died at age 19 during the Cornhuskers' 2013 spring game.
Kylie Docter, executive director of the Team Jack Foundation, said Hoffman died of brain cancer early Wednesday at his home in Atkinson, Nebraska. Medical tests in October confirmed that new and more aggressive tumors had developed.
Team Jack wrote, “Jack passed away after a long battle with brain cancer, a journey that inspired countless lives and left a legacy of hope, strength and resilience. Jack Hoffman, you will always be our hero.” social media post Wednesday.
Hoffman was initially diagnosed in 2011, and his parents, Andy and Bree Hoffman, were the driving force behind the Team Jack Foundation, which supports pediatric brain cancer research.
Nati Harnik/AP
Andy Hoffman was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2020 and died on March 1, 2021, at the age of 42.
Jack was a passionate Nebraska football fan, and soon after his diagnosis he befriended Huskers running back and future NFL player Rex Burkhead.
on wednesday, Burkhead tweeted: “Love you, buddy. Tell Jesus we say hello.”
The nation was introduced to Jack in Nebraska's 2013 spring game, when the coaching staff invited him to run a play in the fourth quarter. Wearing a short Burkhead uniform, he took the handoff from Taylor Martinez marched 69 yards to the end zone,
Players from both sides came onto the field, chased him across the goal line and surrounded him, lifting him on their shoulders to the delight of the crowd of 60,000. ESPN and national news networks showed the video of Jack's TD for several days and it received millions of views on YouTube.
Three weeks later Jack, his family and Birkhead met President Barack Obama In the Oval Office for 15 minutes. Obama presented Jack with a new football and said he was proud of him.
Pete Souza/White House Photo
A few months later, Jack's touchdown run won ESPN's 2013 ESPY Award for “Best Moment in Sports”.
In ESPN interviewed Jack's family In 2020, Jack's mother said that she hoped to keep the tumor in remission.
“For children and tumors,” she said, “what [doctors] We're told that if you can keep it from growing until they reach their 20s, a lot of times they go away.”
Jack started playing for the Atkinson high school football team. He graduated in May and was a pre-law major at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.