Jack Hoffman, known for scoring a touchdown on “The Run” as a child during the 2013 Nebraska spring game after being diagnosed with brain cancer, died Monday at the age of 19, his foundation announced.
Hoffman died after a decade-plus battle with brain cancer, and his Team Jack Foundation became a leading institute for pediatric cancer research.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Jack Hoffman,” the foundation posted Tuesday on X. “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.”
Hoffman, a native Nebraskan who still lived in the state, entered sports lore as a 7-year-old for his magical moment after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
He received a loud ovation while being introduced to the crowd before receiving a handoff and following his blockers to the end zone for a 69-yard touchdown.
The Memorial Stadium crowd went wild while he scooted to the end zone, and the players picked him up and celebrated the touching moment with him.
Nebraska football meant the world to Hoffman, who suffered a life-threatening seizure in 2011 that revealed a mass in his left temporal lobe, according to his biography on his foundation’s website.
While doctors removed a “small amount” of the tumor, the rest could not be operated on.
Hoffman underwent a second brain surgery in 2011 that removed 95 percent of the tumor, per the biography, but the remaining mass grew “aggressively.”
He began chemotherapy in 2012.
Before that second surgery, his family contacted Nebraska to set up a meeting with Hoffman and his favorite player, future NFL running back Rex Burkhead.
Two years later, Nebraska asked Hoffman to participate in their spring game with the plan to let him score a touchdown in what would become an iconic moment.
That scene earned “Best Moment” honors from the 2013 ESPYs, and Hoffman met met then-President Barack Obama later that year.
“I thought it was awesome,” Hoffman said to the Associated Press at the time.
The Hoffman family started the Team Jack Foundation that year, with all the money that is raised going toward pediatric brain cancer research.
The Team Jack Foundation said it had raised more than $13 million as of April 2024.
“Through fundraising, advocacy and awareness, we do everything we can to contribute to the essential cause of childhood brain cancer research,” the foundation’s website states.
Hoffman’s tumor began growing again in 2018, per his website, and he underwent treatment which included traveling to Boston every three months to receive medicine and monitoring.
He joined his junior high school football team in 2019, and played football and participated on the track team for his first three years of high school.
Tragedy struck the family two years later when his father, Andy, died of brain cancer in July.
During Hoffman’s junior year of high school in 2023, an MRI exam revealed the tumor had grown. He graduated high school last May and underwent surgery.
The family learned around that time that the tumor had shifted from low-grade glioma to high-grade, which the website described as rare.
Jack enrolled as a freshman in the pre-law program at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, but last October the tumor again grew, this time “significantly.”
The website said Jack had been enjoying his freshman year, along with Nebraska football and volleyball games.
“Jack Hoffman embodied what it means to be a Husker every day through his courage, fight, and inspiration,” Nebraska’s athletic department tweeted alongside a photo of “The Run” on Tuesday. “We are heartbroken by his loss and send all our love to the Hoffman family.”
The University of Nebraska-Kearney posted: “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Jack Hoffman, a freshman political science major at UNK. Jack made a significant impact on our campus in his short time here. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. 💙 #TeamJack.”
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen praised Hoffman for being an inspiration.
“Jack inspired millions and won the hearts of people around the world,” Pillen said in a statement. “The touchdown run in Memorial Stadium is one of the best moments in all of Husker football history and it helped launch an important mission to raise funds and find a cure for pediatric brain cancer. Suzanne and I mourn with the Hoffman’s, and we join Nebraskans in sending prayers to their family.”
