Jack Hoffman is a seven-year-old little boy who is battling pediatric brain cancer and has been made an honorary Cornhuskers’ by the Nebraska football family.
Yesterday the spring game went on along as normal until the fourth quarter when a surprise running back entered the game.
Hoffman with a helmet and #22 jersey entered the game and lined up next to quarterback Taylor Martinez who was already in the pistol formation.
Martinez to the snap, handed the ball off to Jack, and Hoffman darted off for a 69 yard touchdown run. During the emotional scene, no defensive players touched Hoffman, and some acted like Hoffman juked them out of their shoes.
“That was awesome for the team and for Jack,” Martinez said after the game in quotes distributed by the school. “He’s going to remember that for the rest of his life and so will I. It was awesome for him to score that touchdown.”
“Yeah, we drew up the play probably 30 seconds before so I’m sure it was all a blur for him,” fullback C.J. Zimmerer, who has been involved with Team Jack for several months, said. “I was telling some of the other reporters that he did a great job. We wanted to get him around the edge, giving him a nice lane to the end zone. He did a great job running his little legs there. He’s fast for a little guy. He did a great job for the pressure of 60,000 fans. I’m sure it was not very easy for a 7-year-old.”
Kudos to the Nebraska and my prayers to Jack Hoffman and his family.