CNN
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Jack Hoffman, who captured the nation’s hearts in 2013 when he scored a 69-yard touchdown in a University of Nebraska spring game at age seven, has died of cancer of the brain, the Team Jack Foundation announced on Wednesday “with a heavy heart”. He was 19 years old.
“Jack passed away after a long, hard-fought battle with brain cancer, a journey that inspired countless lives and left a legacy of hope, strength and resilience. Through his fight, Jack has touched lives all over the world,” reads the social media post.
In October, medical tests confirmed the appearance of new, more aggressive tumors, the AP reports.
“Jack may no longer be with us in person, 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 people,” the statement continued. “While we mourn his passing, we also find comfort in knowing that Jack has now been reunited with his father, Andy, in heaven.
“Jack Hoffman, you will always be our hero.”
Hoffman was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was five years old.
The family created the Team Jack Foundation to rally support for Jack, raise money for pediatric brain cancer research and raise national awareness of the disease.
Hoffman was a freshman political science major at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The school shared its “deep sadness” in a social media post.
“Jack made a significant impact on our campus during his short time here,” the X post read. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
Hoffman’s parents took their son to his first Nebraska football game on his fifth birthday in 2010 and “he was a Cornhusker football fan his entire life,” the foundation’s website says.
The University of Nebraska athletic department expressed its condolences.
“Jack Hoffman embodied what it means to be a Husker every day through his courage, fight and inspiration. We are heartbroken by his loss and send all our love to the Hoffman family.
The famous touchdown in front of a crowd of more than 60,000 cheering fans in April 2013 earned Hoffman an ESPY award for “Best Moment” that year.
Shortly after the special experience, the first grader told CNN, “It was awesome. »
During this interview, his father added: “There was a lot of emotion. It was just a really exciting opportunity for Jack and the whole family. It was truly an incredible, incredible day.
Hoffman would later spend time with then-President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. Obama signed a football for him.
Eight years later, his father, Andrew Hoffman, would succumb to cancer in March 2021 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma in July 2020.
