{"id":75,"date":"2014-01-09T23:39:26","date_gmt":"2014-01-09T23:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/?p=75"},"modified":"2014-02-16T15:46:54","modified_gmt":"2014-02-16T15:46:54","slug":"team-jack-what-it-means-to-be-a-husker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/?p=75","title":{"rendered":"Team Jack: What It Means to Be a Husker"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Across year-end top ten lists from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=H7jtC8vjXw8\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/sports.omaha.com\/2013\/11\/26\/jack-hoffmans-run-up-for-usa-todays-best-emotional-moment-of-2013\/#.UsWRLPaRtgM\">USA Today<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2013\/12\/25\/sports-nice-list-2013_n_4499933.html?utm_hp_ref=sports\">the Huffington Post<\/a>, and others, Jack Hoffman has been making steady appearances. On April 6, 2013, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.teamjackfoundation.org\/\">Jack Hoffman<\/a>, a seven-year old with brain cancer, donned a red #22 jersey to make a 69-yard touchdown during the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huskermax.com\/games\/2013\/00spring_game13.html\">Spring Game<\/a> scrimmage for the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unl.edu\/\">University of Nebraska-Lincoln<\/a> Husker <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huskers.com\/SportSelect.dbml?&amp;DB_OEM_ID=100&amp;SPID=22&amp;SPSID=1\">football team<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_Jmisv1Spck?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Since the Spring Game, the touchdown has garnered more than 8 million views on YouTube. It has been named the best moment by <a href=\"http:\/\/sports.omaha.com\/2013\/11\/26\/jack-hoffmans-run-up-for-usa-todays-best-emotional-moment-of-2013\/#.UsWRLPaRtgM\">USA Today<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/btn.com\/2013\/12\/15\/video-top-10-2013-moments-on-btn\/\">Big Ten<\/a> and earned Jack an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huskers.com\/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=208719065\">ESPY<\/a>. While the touchdown itself allowed Jack to live his dream of playing with the Huskers, Jack and his family have also been using the opportunity to increase awareness of pediatric brain cancer and raise money for medical research. So far, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.teamjackfoundation.org\/\">The Team Jack Foundation<\/a> has raised <a href=\"http:\/\/myemail.constantcontact.com\/Happy-Holidays-from-Team-Jack.html?soid=1115455899324&amp;aid=2Gh8fJBb_20\">$1 million<\/a> for cancer research through donations, the sale of Team Jack <a href=\"http:\/\/teamjack.ideal-stores.com\/shopexd.asp?id=31835\">t-shirts<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/teamjack.ideal-stores.com\/shopexd.asp?id=31871\">bracelets<\/a>, and galas and bowling fundraisers.<\/p>\n<p>More important than making the top ten year end lists, Jack\u2019s touchdown is significant because it has been fully integrated into the values, traditions, and meaning of what it means to be a Husker fan. Jack\u2019s touchdown, and the Husker football team\u2019s welcoming of Jack, has become a way to define what it means to be a Husker, identify Husker values, and prioritize those values.<\/p>\n<p>After the Spring Game, fans pointed to Jack to define what it means to be a Husker and to share pride in that identity.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-76\" alt=\"image#1\" src=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image1.png\" width=\"516\" height=\"183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image1.png 516w, https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image1-300x106.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77\" alt=\"image#2\" src=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image2.png\" width=\"515\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image2.png 515w, https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image2-300x177.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-78\" alt=\"image#3\" src=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image3.png\" width=\"516\" height=\"94\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image3.png 516w, https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image3-300x54.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79\" alt=\"image#4\" src=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image4.png\" width=\"518\" height=\"91\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image4.png 518w, https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image4-300x52.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 518px) 100vw, 518px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-80\" alt=\"image#5\" src=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image5.png\" width=\"517\" height=\"551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image5.png 517w, https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image5-281x300.png 281w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 517px) 100vw, 517px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Throughout these tweets, fans share their pride in the Nebraska football program and allude to something special being shown with Jack\u2019s touchdown. <a href=\"http:\/\/jeffreykoterba.com\/\">Jeff Koterba<\/a> articulates what these fans leave unspoken: that Jack\u2019s touchdown showed Husker values at work.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_81\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image6.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-81\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-81\" alt=\"Jeff Koterba cartoon for April 9, 2013 &quot;Jack Hoffman Huskers&quot;\" src=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image6.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image6.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image6-300x211.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-81\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeff Koterba cartoon for April 9, 2013 &#8220;Jack Hoffman Huskers&#8221;<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In Koterba\u2019s cartoon, Husker football players are no longer students, athletes, or celebrities, but rather are representatives of the values upheld by Husker Nation. The <a href=\"http:\/\/sports.omaha.com\/2013\/04\/06\/jack-hoffman-7-stars-at-nu-spring-game\/\">editorial<\/a> states, \u201cIt\u2019s easy in today\u2019s high-stakes world of big-time college athletics to overlook things like sportsmanship, generosity and inspiration. All suited up Saturday in Memorial Stadium.\u201d Indeed, the cartoon shows what happens when Huskers values are enacted through the Husker football players on the field and the Husker fans in the crowd roaring as Jack crossed into the end zone.<\/p>\n<p>Husker fans like Sean Carey and Tyler Quick assert that these values are more important than any winning streak. For Huskers, sportsmanship, generosity, inspiration, hope, heart, and soul are prioritized over winning.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image7.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-82\" alt=\"image#7\" src=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image7.png\" width=\"510\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image7.png 510w, https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image7-300x254.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image8.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-83\" alt=\"image#8\" src=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image8.png\" width=\"516\" height=\"103\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image8.png 516w, https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image8-300x59.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Andrew Dillon goes so far as to say that Jack Hoffman may be the greatest running back of all time. By doing so, he contributes to prioritizing the values Jack embodies over winning football games.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image9.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-84\" alt=\"image#9\" src=\"http:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image9.png\" width=\"515\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image9.png 515w, https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/image9-300x230.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Andrew shifts the criteria for best running back from touchdown statistics to the values Jack embodies. Jack\u2019s single touchdown may be more important than <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/185403-top-10-running-backs-in-nebraska-cornhusker-history\/page\/11\">Mike Rozier\u2019s 29 touchdowns and 2,148 rushing yards<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Husker fans have fully embraced Jack\u2019s touchdown. For Huskers, it is a point of pride, shows what it means to be a Husker, and demonstrates that values like sportsmanship, hope, and inspiration are more important than winning. Of course, these values have long been a part of the Husker fan community. Tom Osborne, the Husker\u2019s head football coach from 1973-1997, famously embraced a coaching philosophy that emphasized <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/More-Than-Winning-Story-Osborne\/dp\/0803226632\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1388764598&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=more+than+winning\">more than winning<\/a>: a game well played. But after Tom Osborne stepped aside as head football coach, Husker Nation underwent a minor identity crisis.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huskers.com\/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1060800&amp;DB_OEM_ID=100\">Frank Solich was hired in 1998<\/a> and found moderate success, but after a 7-7 season in 2002 and firing many of the assistant coaches afterwards, only one third of Nebraskans polled thought his team \u201crepresented real Nebraska football\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Huskerville-Story-Nebraska-Football-Power\/dp\/0786432063\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1388765663&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=huskerville\">(Aden, pg. 57).<\/a> When <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huskers.com\/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1060800&amp;DB_OEM_ID=100\">Bill Callahan took over in 2004<\/a>, he introduced big changes that yielded minimal success: he gutted Nebraska\u2019s walk-on program and introduced a west-coast offense. Callahan was eventually fired in 2007 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Huskerville-Story-Nebraska-Football-Power\/dp\/0786432063\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1388765663&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=huskerville\">(Aden, pg. 58)<\/a>. These Solich and Callahan years shook the foundations of Husker Nation. Nebraska\u2019s current coach, Bo Pelini, has been unable to repair all the damage\u2014indeed, such a task may take years.<\/p>\n<p>This makes Jack Hoffman\u2019s touchdown even more important for the Husker fan community. His touchdown provided an opportunity for fans, players, and coaches to recommit themselves to particular values and reconnect those values to Husker fandom. When Jack made that touchdown, Huskers were reminded of what it takes to be a Husker and why that\u2019s so special.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Across year-end top ten lists from YouTube, USA Today, the Huffington Post, and others, Jack Hoffman has been making steady appearances. On April 6, 2013, Jack Hoffman, a seven-year old with brain cancer, donned a red #22 jersey to make &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/?p=75\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[19,4,7,20,3,21],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87,"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions\/87"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhetoric.commarts.wisc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}