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Jack Hoffman, the namesake of the Team Jack Foundation and a pre-law student at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, died early Wednesday after a 14-year battle with brain cancer, the organization announced. He was 19.

Hoffman catapulted into the hearts of sports fans in 2013 after he ran for a touchdown in Nebraska’s spring game at Memorial Stadium at the age of 7. In the weeks and months after, he met then-President Barack Obama and won an ESPY for “Best Moment� — which helped spark awareness for pediatric brain cancer research.

Jack, at the age of 5, was originally diagnosed with a cancerous glioma on May 12, 2011, after suffering his first grand mal seizure a few weeks earlier on April 22. After originally being told by doctors that Jack’s tumor couldn’t be removed, the Hoffmans found a doctor in Boston who was able to remove most of the cancerous tissue.

Leading up to Jack’s second brain surgery, the Hoffmans reached out to the University of Nebraska to see if Jack could meet his favorite football player, then-running back Rex Burkhead. The initial meeting led to a lifelong friendship and a relationship with the Nebraska football team as a whole.

“To see his light and joy for life, knowing what he was battling was just unbelievable,� Burkhead reflected to the Journal Star in 2023. “At that time, I think they’re hoping I would give him a little strength or inspiration and I think I got just as much, if not more, from him.�

As Jack’s battle with brain cancer continued, his father, Andy, became incensed with how little resources were spent on pediatric brain cancer — despite being the leading cause of death for children with cancer. Andy and his wife, Bri, launched the Team Jack Foundation in 2013 out of their basement in Atkinson. In the decade-plus since, Team Jack has raised more than $12 million for pediatric brain cancer research.

Jack Hoffman is survived by his mother, Bri, and his younger sisters, Ava and Reese. His father, Andy, died of glioblastoma — a rare form of brain cancer that was not genetically linked to Jack’s — in March 2021.

While being treated in high school, Hoffman was able to lead a relatively normal teenage life — playing football and competing in track and field for West Holt. He graduated from West Holt in May and enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Kearney in August with plans of being a lawyer like his father, Andy.

“I’m not treated any different than anyone else,� Hoffman told the Journal Star in 2023. “That’s lucky for someone like me. I have some friends that aren’t as lucky. Sometimes the people around me make me forget I have brain cancer, which is actually really nice.�

The Hoffmans were told that other patients with Jack's type of tumor have shown that once they reach their 20s, their tumors went dormant.

After four years of stable scans, the Hoffmans were hopeful that Jack would have the same outcome. But his scans showed tumor progression once again in March 2023.

“The past 12 years I couldn’t have predicted, but you just go with it,� Hoffman said in 2023 after he received the result of his scan with tumor progression. “It just is what it is. After the first six years of my life, I’ve learned to adapt pretty well.�

Ahead of his freshman year at UNK, he was awarded the Kearney Law Opportunities Scholarship, a highly competitive scholarship that not only covers tuition but guarantees acceptance into the Nebraska College of Law, presuming the prerequisites are met. At UNK, he was majoring in political science and earned a spot on the dean's list in his one semester at the university.

"He was a valued member of our Loper community," a UNK spokesperson said in a statement. "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.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to Jack’s family, friends and all those 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."

Further significant tumor progression was shown on follow-up scans, prompting a craniotomy with tumor resection surgery on June 11. Pathology testing on that tumor came back with the Hoffmans’ worst fears: a high-grade tumor (officially listed as a diffuse high-grade neuroepithelial tumor) that needed aggressive treatment — 30 radiation treatments with six rounds of oral chemotherapy medications.

In December, another scan showed even more progression — with new tumors in his brain stem, cerebellum, ventricles and spine. 

"We are still praying for a miracle," Bri Hoffman wrote on . "He continues to fight."

Hoffman's fighting spirit was on display from the early days of his diagnosis and continued through his last, a "journey that inspired countless lives and left a legacy of hope strength and resilience," Team Jack wrote.

In the hours after his death, statements and tributes to Hoffman flooded social media. Some of those sharing their thoughts were Gov. Jim Pillen, Sen. Deb Fischer, Reps. Mike Flood, Adrian Smith and Don Bacon, comedian Larry the Cable Guy, and several former Nebraska football players and coaches like Burkhead, Will Compton and Jeff Jamrog.

"A life gone too soon, but not without making Nebraska a better place," Flood said. "Jack leaves a legacy of hope for families and kids as we keep fighting to find a cure to pediatric cancer.

"From his legendary touchdown during Nebraska’s 2013 spring game to the work of the Team Jack Foundation, the impact he had on each of us will live on for many years to come. Our prayers are with the Hoffman family as we all grieve his loss.�

Services for Jack will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Atkinson Community Center.