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University of Nebraska football superfan Jack Hoffmanwho famously ran for a tackle during a Cornhuskers game in 2013, has died after a 14-year battle with brain cancer.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Jack Hoffman’s death,” said the Team Jack Foundation confirmed in a statement on Wednesday, January 15, via Facebook. “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 died at his home in Atkinson, Nebraska. According to Team Jack’s website, pathology results after tumor resection surgery in the summer of 2024 revealed that his tumor had progressed to a high-grade glioma. He was 19 years old.
After being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011, Jack formed a bond with the Huskers running back Rex Burkhead after his father, Andy Hoffmanreach out to the star player. Two years later, the Nebraska coaching staff invited him to run a play during the fourth quarter of a spring game. Rocking Burkhead’s tiny No. 22 jersey, Hoffman – then 7 years old – took a handoff from Taylor Martinez and ran 69 yards into the Memorial Stadium end zone to the cheers of 60,000 people.
A video of the game, known as “The Run”, gathered millions of views YouTube, and weeks later, Jack went with Burkhead to visit Barack Obama in the Oval Office. In July 2013, he was awarded the ESPN ESPY Award for “Best Moment in Sports.”
Jack’s moment in the spotlight helped his parents launch their foundation, which has since raised more than $14 million to aid pediatric brain cancer research. (Andy died of glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2021 aged 42.)
Love you friend. Tell Jesus we say hello. https://t.co/ipiVTZbZGe
— Rex Burkhead (@RBrex34) January 15, 2025
“Jack Hoffman embodied what it means to be a Husker every day through his courage, fight, and inspiration,” wrote the official social media account of the Nebraska Cornhuskers through X on Wednesday. “We are heartbroken by his loss and send all our love to the Hoffman family.”
Burkhead – now a player for the NFL’s Houston Texans – also sent his condolences through Xwrites, “Love your friend. Tell Jesus we say hello.”
Despite his diagnosis, Jack played on his own high school football team as a lineman before becoming a freshman at the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2024, studying political science. The school released a statement Wednesday calling the teenager “a valuable member of our Loper community,” revealing that Jack made the Dean’s list this past semester.
“Jack was widely admired across Nebraska and beyond for his courageous spirit and dedication to raising awareness about childhood cancer through the Team Jack Foundation,” the school’s statement read. “Our deepest sympathies go out to Jack’s family, his friends and everyone whose lives he touched. His connection to the UNK community was meaningful, and his impact will not be forgotten. We are grateful for the time he shared with us.”
In an interview with ESPN in 2020, Jack reflected on “The Run,” revealing that he didn’t realize the moment would be such a big deal. He remembered not knowing where the end zone was and remembered the words of wisdom his father shared that he carried with him years later: “If you don’t know it, run until you hit the fence.”
Jack is survived by his mother, Bree Hoffmanand two sisters.
