Nebraska superfan Jack Hoffman, who became famous for his spring TD game, dies at 19 after battle with brain cancer


Jack Hoffman, a nebraska cornhuskers A superfan who gained national attention at age 7 with a spring game touchdown run has died while battling cancer. He is 19 years old.

huffman died of brain cancer Wednesday, Kylie Dockter, executive director of the Team Jack Foundation. Late last year, he battled a new, more aggressive tumor.

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Jack Hoffman, 2014

Cancer survivor Jack Hoffman makes a pledge not to use drugs during halftime of the Nebraska NCAA spring football game on April 12, 2014 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Jack Hoffman, the courageous namesake of the Jack Team Foundation. Jack passed away after a long and hard-fought battle with brain cancer, a journey that He inspired countless people and left behind a “legacy of hope, strength and resilience,” the foundation said in a statement on social media.

“Through his fight, Jack touched people around the world. From capturing the hearts of millions with his memorable 69-yard touchdown run during the Nebraska spring game, to through the Jack Team Foundation Jack may no longer be with us in person, but his legacy will live on in the work of Team Jack Foundation, in the lives of the children and families we helped, and the countless families whose work he helped find comfort and support. So much continues in the hope given.”

Huffman was originally diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011, and his parents helped create the foundation to support research efforts to end childhood 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.

Since 2013, the foundation has raised more than $12.6 million.

Huffman’s comments went viral after the coaching staff invited him to play a game in the fourth quarter during Nebraska’s 2013 spring game. Hoffman ran 69 yards for a touchdown and became the talk of the sports world for several days.

In the midst of it all, he struck up a friendship with running back Rex Burkhead. The two, along with Huffman’s family, later visited then-President Obama, who presented Huffman with a new football and told him he was proud of him.

“Love you man. Tell Jesus we said hi,” Burkhead wrote in a post on X.

Jack Hoffman's performance at the ESPYs

Jack Hoffman (left) accepts the ESPY Award for Best Moment at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on July 17, 2013 with his father Andy Hoffman. (John Shearer/Invision/AP, File)

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Huffman played football at Atkinson High School and graduated in May. He’s pre-law University of Nebraska at Kearney.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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