Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, beloved and longtime chaplain Loyola-Chicago The men's basketball team who became a folk hero during its Cinderella Final Four run in 2018 died Thursday, the school said.
She was 106.
“In many roles at Loyola for more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace to generations of students, faculty and staff,” said Loyola President Mark K. Reed. “While we feel grief and a sense of loss, there is great joy in her legacy. Her presence was a profound blessing to our entire community, and her spirit lives on in thousands of lives. In her honor, we can strive to share with others the love and compassion that Sister Jean shared with us.”
Sister Jean, born Dolores Bertha Schmidt on August 21, 1919, and then named Sister Jean Dolores in 1937, joined the Loyola-Chicago staff in 1991. Three years later, she became part of the basketball team, first as an academic director and then moved into the chaplain position. Health problems forced her to resign from her position in August.
She was the Ramblers' No. 1 fan, and that was on display during the 2018 NCAA Tournament when, as a No. 11 seed, they made an improbable run to the Final Four, ultimately losing to Michigan. Sister Jean, who was 98 at the time, was with them every step of the way, praying for the team – and its opponents – before each game and encouraging the Ramblers to play hard, play together and play smart.
What if they lost? She regularly told them not to worry; it just wasn't meant to be.
“She’s an incredible person,” Loyola Chicago star guard Clayton Custer said at the time.
College basketball fans and beyond agreed.
She became an international celebrity during the Ramblers performance. Sister Jean's baby dolls and sportswear sold quickly. She has been the subject of countless interviews on national television. And before the games, press conferences were even held for her. During the loss to Michigan at the Alamodome in San Antonio, the jerseys read, “Win one for the nun!” and a sign in the crowd called for the Wolverines to submit to “Jean's Plan”.
Her fame did not weaken in subsequent years.
When she turned 100, Loyola-Chicago announced the creation of a scholarship fund and endowment in her honor to support students, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker declared August 21, 2019, “Sister Jean Day” statewide. When she turned 103, Chicago Station Square on Loyola's campus was renamed in her honor, with a large sign reading “Home of the World Famous Sister Jean!” meet visitors there. And when she turned 105, she received a proclamation from President Joe Biden, who sent her flowers on at least one occasion.
Biden's message said, in part, to Sister Jean: “You have shown us all that your life is well lived.”
She also remained close to the team.
When Loyola-Chicago qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2021, a vaccinated Sister Jean was allowed to travel to Indianapolis, and before the Ramblers' second-round game against top-seeded Illinois, she prayed for them and provided a scouting report.
“We have a great opportunity to convert rebounds because this team makes about 50% of its layups and 30% of its three-point attempts. [pointers]. Our defense can take care of that,” she told the team.
It worked: Loyola-Chicago upset the Illini to advance to the Sweet 16.
“She still emails me after every game,” former Loyola-Chicago coach Porter Moser once said. “There's no one like her.”
Sister Jean was born in San Francisco in 1919 and raised in a devout Catholic family. According to her, her religious calling came at the age of 8. She was in third grade when she met a kind, cheerful teacher who belonged to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Overwhelmed with admiration, she prayed every day: “Dear God, help me understand what I should do, but please tell me that I should become a BVM sister,” she said in her 2023 memoir.
“I think God listened to me on this issue,” she wrote.
She followed her calling to the order's home in Dubuque, Iowa, where she took her vows. She went on to teach in Catholic schools in Chicago and Southern California, where she also coached the girls' basketball team, before graduating from Lakeside Mundelein College in Chicago in the 1960s. The school became a Loyola affiliate in 1991, and Sister Jean was hired to help students with the transition.
In 1994, she was asked to help student basketball players improve their grades—she called herself a “booster shooter”—and later that year she was named chaplain of the men's team. This role, she wrote in her memoirs, was “the most transformative and transcendental position” of her life.
“Sports are very important because they help develop life skills,” she said. “And during these life skills, you also talk about faith and purpose.”
The university said Sister Jean is survived by her sister-in-law, Jean Tidwell, and her niece, Jan Schmidt.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
