Sister Jean, beloved Loyola-Chicago chaplain, dies

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the beloved, precocious retired chaplain of the Loyola-Chicago men's hoops squad who became a people leader during its Cinderella tally to the Final Four successful 2018, has died, the schoolhouse announced precocious Thursday night.

She was 106.

"In galore roles astatine Loyola implicit the people of much than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable root of contented and grace for generations of students, faculty, and staff," Loyola president Mark C. Reed said. "While we consciousness grief and a consciousness of loss, determination is large joyousness successful her legacy. Her beingness was a profound blessing for our full assemblage and her tone abides successful thousands of lives. In her honor, we tin aspire to stock with others the emotion and compassion Sister Jean shared with us."

Sister Jean joined the unit astatine Loyola-Chicago successful 1991, and past joined the hoops squad successful 1994, archetypal arsenic an world advisor earlier transitioning to chaplain, until she retired past period owed to wellness concerns.

She was the Ramblers' No. 1 fan, which was connected wide show during the 2018 NCAA tourney when, arsenic the No. 11 seeds, they went connected an improbable tally to the Final Four, yet losing to Michigan. Sister Jean, 98 astatine the time, was with them each measurement of the way, praying for the squad -- and its opponents -- earlier each crippled and encouraging the Ramblers to play hard, play unneurotic and play smart.

And if they lost? She told them regularly not to sweat it; it conscionable wasn't meant to be.

"She's an unthinkable person," prima Loyola-Chicago defender Clayton Custer said astatine the time.

Fans passim assemblage basketball, and beyond, agreed.

She became an planetary personage during the Ramblers' run. Sister Jean bobbleheads and diversion apparel sold fast. She was the taxable of countless nationalist TV interviews. And determination were adjacent quality conferences for her up of games. During the nonaccomplishment to Michigan astatine the Alamodome, T-shirts work "Win One for the Nun!" and a motion successful the assemblage encouraged the Wolverines to springiness obedience to "Jean's Plan."

Her fame didn't wane successful the years to come.

When she turned 100, Loyola-Chicago announced a assistance money and endowment successful her grant to enactment students, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker proclaimed Aug. 21, 2019, "Sister Jean Day" crossed the state. And erstwhile she turned 103, the Chicago bid presumption plaza astatine the Loyola field was renamed successful her honor, with a ample motion saying "Home of the World Famous Sister Jean!" greeting visitors there.

She remained adjacent to the team, arsenic well.

When it qualified for the NCAA tourney successful 2021, a vaccinated Sister Jean was cleared to question to Indianapolis, and earlier the Ramblers' second-round crippled against top-seeded Illinois, she gave them a supplication and a scouting report.

"We person a large accidental to person rebounds arsenic this squad makes astir 50% of layups and 30% of its 3 points. Our defence tin instrumentality attraction of that," she told the team.

It worked, arsenic Loyola-Chicago upset the Illini to scope the Sweet 16.

"She inactive sends maine an email aft each azygous game," erstwhile Loyola-Chicago manager Porter Moser erstwhile said. "There is nary quality similar her."