Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the Loyola Chicago men’s basketball chaplain whose faith, wit, and presence captured the nation’s heart during the Ramblers’ Cinderella run to the 2018 NCAA Final Four, has died at the age of 106, the university announced Thursday night.
Sister Jean stepped down from her role in August due to health issues but continued advising the school community in her final months. “Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community,” Loyola President Mark C. Reed said.
Born Dolores Bertha Schmidt in San Francisco on Aug. 21, 1919, she joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1937 and spent decades teaching, coaching, and mentoring students. She moved to Chicago in the 1960s, eventually joining Loyola in 1991 after Mundelein College merged with the university. In 1994, she became chaplain of the men’s basketball team — a role she called “the most transformational and transcendent position” of her life.
Sister Jean became a cultural phenomenon in 2018 at age 98, offering scouting reports, pregame prayers, and postgame emails to players during Loyola’s unexpected tournament run. Her news conferences drew more media than some Super Bowls, and her likeness appeared on socks, bobbleheads, and even a Lego statue. “She’s just so special, her spirit. She means so much to the city of Chicago and the team,” Loyola’s Donte Ingram said during that run.
She published a memoir in 2023, Wake Up with Purpose!, reflecting on her faith and life lessons. Over the years, she received an Apostolic Blessing from Pope Francis, gubernatorial proclamations, and birthday messages from President Joe Biden.
Sister Jean lived among students for decades, leading prayer groups and sharing meals in the student center. “I love life so much and enjoy being with young people,” she said in 2023. “They’re the ones who keep me going because they bring such joy into my life.”
Source: WBAL