Jack ran for a touchdown. When he crossed the goal line, he spiked the ball with the kind of elation only a child can show. His teammates mobbed him. The crowd erupted in a standing ovation that lasted several minutes. Many were crying. Sportscasters across the country ran the clip on loop.
Jack started running to his left, followed by a wall of 250-pound offensive linemen who had been instructed to block, but not to hurt anyone. As Jack cut upfield, the White team’s defensive players—all of them Division I athletes—did something extraordinary. They parted like the Red Sea. They dove out of the way, feigned shoestring tackles, and essentially escorted the little boy in the No. 22 jersey all the way to the end zone. Jack ran for a touchdown
But Jack kept fighting. And the football program never forgot him. In 2014, new head coach Mike Riley invited Jack back as an honorary captain. In 2017, Scott Frost—the former Nebraska quarterback who had watched the spring game run from afar—named Jack an "honorary Husker for life." The crowd erupted in a standing ovation that
Go Big Red. Go Team Jack.
Burkhead’s involvement caught the attention of then-head coach Bo Pelini. Soon, the entire Nebraska football program adopted Jack. He was given a locker, a jersey (No. 22, Burkhead’s number), and a spot on the sideline during practices. For Jack, the football field became a refuge—a place where he wasn’t a sick kid but a teammate. Jack started running to his left, followed by
The Red team (offense) lined up at their own 31-yard line. Jack Hoffman, wearing a helmet that was slightly too big and shoulder pads that swallowed his small frame, stood in the backfield. Quarterback Taylor Martinez took the snap and handed the ball to Jack. What happened next defied logic.
With 1:24 remaining in the second quarter, Coach Pelini called a timeout. He walked onto the field, took the microphone, and announced: "We’re gonna put Jack in the game."