Football was never supposed to be in Jack Hoffman's future after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011.
Then came Nebraska's 2013 Spring game. Donning the number of his favorite player, new friend Rex Burkhead, and a helmet way too big for his head, 5-year-old Jack lined up in the offensive backfield in one of college football's most celebrated stadiums.
Quarterback Taylor Martinez took the snap, handed it to Jack and directed him to his blockers, who made room on the right side of the field. From there, Jack split a sea of red and white and sprinted to the end zone for a 69-yard touchdown that had a crowd of more than 60,000 fans inside Memorial Stadium simultaneously cheering and crying.