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Jack Hoffman passes away from cancer at the age of 19

On3 imageby:Sean Callahan•about 9 hours•

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Jack Hoffman pic

Jack Hoffman, who helped produce one of the most iconic moments in recent Nebraska football history, has died of cancer.

Hoffman, who the Team Jack Foundation was named after, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 19. The Atkinson native was in his freshman year at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

Hoffman’s relationship with NU began in 2012 when he was battling pediatric brain cancer. He idolized former Husker running back Rex Burkhead.

When Burkhead was injured in 2012, he received a letter from the 7-year-old Hoffman and his family.

Hoffman was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer. Jack’s father, Andy, reached out to Burkhead to see if he’d meet with his son and offer support as he was about to undergo several extensive surgeries and treatments.

Burkhead took things to another level. He started wearing a Team Jack bracelet to show support for the small grassroots campaign Hoffman and his family began in 2012. The next thing you know, there were t-shirts.

Several Husker football players began wearing bracelets and t-shirts to support Hoffman. During the 2012 Wisconsin game, Burkhead and Hoffman helped lead the Huskers out during the Tunnel Walk. It’s one of the only times in the history of the Tunnel Walk that somebody besides a Husker player helped lead the team out.

“The original thing was just our team relationship with Team Jack and Rex passed out bracelets. People started wearing those around and then we were approached by a nonprofit called Uplifting Athletes, which was established by Scott Shirley up at Penn State when he was a player. The goal was to promote a rare disease through football and try to raise money,” former Nebraska fullback C.J. Zimmerer said.  

Team Jack became a household name very quickly

Team Jack quickly became a household name around Husker Nation. Nebraska fans started buying t-shirts and bracelets to show their support for Hoffman. Local shops began carrying Team Jack t-shirts and bracelets.

“Do you want to know why Rex Burkhead was a great player? Watch him when he wasn’t playing, what did he do? He teams up with this kid, this young boy named Jack,” current Husker assistant coach Ron Brown said. “He’s got cancer, and he starts a national fundraiser for this kid. He wins a national award for a guy who had the greatest impact on diseases and so forth of anybody in college football. That’s who Rex Burkhead is.”

Burkhead and Zimmerer would also help start a road race to fundraise for Team Jack. In 2024, the race completed its 12th year, and well over $125,000 had been raised for Team Jack and Pediatric Brain Cancer.

All of this from Burkhead set up the moment we saw in 2013. During the spring game, Bo Pelini wanted to do something for Hoffman and his family.

He and his director of operations Jeff Jamrog, devised a plan to put Hoffman into the spring game for one play. They designed a touchdown run that would go on to make worldwide news. Nobody had any idea a moment like this was about to be delivered.

“Bo (Pelini) got on the headset and he goes, ‘Joe, drop a player and get Jack in.’ I was like, ‘Huh? What are you talking about?’ He goes, ‘Let Jack run the touchdown.’ I was like, ‘All right. Does everybody else know?’ He’s like, ‘Yes, don’t worry about it.’ He goes, ‘Draw a play.’ There’s a picture of me, him, and (quarterback) Taylor (Martinez). I’m just drawing a play on the sideline and say, ‘Hey, you’re going to get the ball.’ I didn’t do a great job because Jack went the wrong way to start. That’s a coaching error. I drew it up,” former graduate assistant and Husker quarterback Joe Ganz joked.

“I was like, ‘Hey, we’re going to hand you the ball off, and you’re going to run this way.’ He just looked at me, ‘Okay.’ I was like, ‘This is going to be awesome.’ Then it happened. You were like, you knew in the moment, you’re like, ‘Holy shit.’”

Hoffman won an ESPY in 2013

The play would go on to win the ESPN ESPY for the Best Sports Moment of the Year in 2013. The video on Nebraska’s official YouTube page received over 9 million views.

All of this raised more awareness for Team Jack and their efforts to raise money and awareness for pediatric brain cancer. The organization has raised well over $9 million for pediatric brain cancer since it started in 2013.

Burkhead’s support for the Hoffman family was a significant reason why. Sadly, Hoffman’s father Andy died from Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer in 2021. He was 42 years old.

“Just with social media and everything, one, it’s hard to keep a secret these days. Nobody knew about it really, except the team, which was great, and that I think brought on the emotions out of the stadium where people are getting choked up right away,” Zimmerer said of Hoffman’s run. He stood right next to Hoffman after Martinez handed him the football.

“In my five years at Nebraska, that’s definitely my best memory without a doubt. Most impactful for sure, and I’m very proud that I got to be a part of it.”

Services for Hoffman will be held at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Atkinson, Nebraska. Visitation will be on Friday, Jan. 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the church. The funeral service will be at the Atkinson Community Center on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 10:30 a.m.

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