Sister Jean, who rose to fame during Loyola’s Final Four run, dead at 106
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, Loyola-Chicago’s beloved chaplain who became a Final Four icon in 2018, has died at 106, the university said.
Scripps News
Sister Jean, the beloved chaplain for the Loyola-Chicago men’s basketball team, has died at the age of 106.She gained national fame during the Ramblers’ Cinderella run to the Final Four in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.Former players, including Iowa State assistant coach J.R. Blount, remember her as a genuine and selfless person who cared deeply for them both on and off the court.
Your eyes are naturally glued to the basketball — trained to follow it as it moves up and down the court, closely watching every pass, shot or block.
Cameras are usually too busy focusing in on the players who dominate fans’ attention during the game, but during the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Sister Jean became a national phenomenon for her charming presence near the Loyola-Chicago bench as the Ramblers’ chaplain.
Although her eyes were also fixated on the action unfolding before her, she gained plenty of attention worldwide during Loyola-Chicago’s run to the 2018 Final Four. Even after that March Madness journey ended, she remained popular among college basketball fans.
College basketball fans across the country have joined the Loyola-Chicago program in mourning and celebrating Sister Jean’s life. She died on Oct. 9 at age 106.
“Obviously, 106 years old, that’s a great life, a legend,” said Iowa State basketball assistant coach J.R. Blount, who was a three-year captain for the Ramblers until graduating in 2009. “She was in her 80s when I was there, and she was sharp. I mean, sharp.
“Just somebody who was the epitome of genuine and somebody who wanted the best for everyone around them. Always looking out for other people.”
Although Blount’s allegiances now lie with the Cyclones, he remains close with his former teammates and those in the Loyola-Chicago men’s basketball program.
News of her passing quickly spread through group text messages and social media posts.
Old stories and memories naturally resurfaced. From Sister Jean watching practices to offering support and guidance off the court, to her million-dollar smile waiting in the tunnel after games to exchange high-fives and hugs, and the iconic pregame team prayers, which also included her own personal research and scouting reports.
She played basketball at St. Paul’s High School in San Francisco during her teenage years, so she was a basketball-lifer.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, this is Gordon Hayward, he’s really good, stop him.’ It’s, ‘Hey, this is Gordon Hayward, he shoots 80% from the free throw line, he shoots 34% from the three, and let’s make sure we take that away,'” Blount said. “It was detailed and stuff, man. Even when I was a freshman, I was like, whoa is this real? It became so normal that she was going to spit out some facts, and she knew what she was talking about.
“It was a really personal experience and she made sure that you felt that and you felt the love from her then, and even afterwards when I would go back.”
Born Dolores Bertha Schmidt in San Francisco in 1919, she left the West Coast after graduating from high school and moved to Dubuque, Iowa, where she became a nun and entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary convent in 1937.
In 1941, she returned to California to teach at various schools. While back in her home state, she graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Mount St. Mary’s College (now Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles) and then completed her master’s at Loyola University of Los Angeles, which has since rebranded to Loyola Marymount University.
Sister Jean returned to the Midwest to teach at Mundelein College in Chicago in 1961. The school later merged with Loyola University Chicago three decades later. She was close to retirement when she was asked to stay on campus to help student-athletes in an academic support role. She also became the chaplain of the Ramblers’ basketball team in 1994.
She became a March Madness darling as Loyola-Chicago went on a Cinderella run and made its first Final Four appearance in 55 years in 2018.
“The question I got all the time was like, ‘Is this real? Is this for show?’ and I’m like, ‘Dude, this has been happening way before me, and obviously way before 2018 when the team was really good,'” Blount said. “Just who she is, it was a staple of what the program was about. The culture that was created there by her being the chaplain, it was cool to see and well-deserved.
“It was just a genuine experience. Everyone that played there will have the same answer because they know that she really cared about who they were as a person and wanting to do well, and have success on the basketball court. She cared for you even more off the court and who you were as a young man.”
She published a memoir in 2023, titled “Wake Up with Purpose! What I’ve Learned in My First 100 Years.”
Sister Jean stepped down from her role as team chaplain in August due to health issues.
While tribute posts emerge from all directions of the college basketball world, former players like Blount closely carry their experiences and lessons learned from her going forward.
“She was the true definition of giving before you give to yourself,” Blount said. “She was able to impact so many lives of young men that go throughout the program, and I’m sure there are thousands of kids before me, to me and my generation, and even the last 15 years that have left and have all been impacted by her. She’s a true testament of selflessness, genuine kindness, someone you can always count on. She provides so many different lessons even with just two-minute speeches before the games that you take with you for the rest of your life.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.