College basketball legend Sister Jean dies aged 106

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the beloved chaplain for Loyola Chicago’s men’s basketball team who captured international attention during the school’s remarkable 2018 NCAA Tournament run, has died at the age of 106.

The university confirmed her passing on Thursday night.

Sister Jean, who served the university for over six decades, had stepped down from her official role in August due to health concerns, though she continued to offer guidance as an adviser in her final months.

Loyola President Mark C. Reed paid tribute to her profound impact. "In many roles at Loyola over the course of more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace for generations of students, faculty, and staff," he stated.

Reed added: "While we feel grief and a sense of loss, there is great joy in her legacy.

“Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community and her spirit abides in thousands of lives. In her honor, we can aspire to share with others the love and compassion Sister Jean shared with us."

Sister Jean — born Dolores Bertha Schmidt on August 21, 1919, then taking the name Sister Jean Dolores in 1937 — became one of the most talked-about personalities during that 2018 NCAA Tournament.

She did countless interviews and was even celebrated with a bobblehead in her likeness.

Sister Jean said her religious calling came at the age of 8 when she met a kind, joyful teacher who belonged to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

She followed her calling to the order’s motherhouse in Dubuque, Iowa, where she made her vows.

She went on to teach at Catholic schools in Chicago and southern California, where she also coached girls’ basketball, before she ended at Mundelein College — on the Chicago lakefront —in the 1960s.

The school became affiliated with Loyola in 1991, and Sister Jean was hired to help students with the transition.

In 1994, she was asked to help student basketball players boost their grades – “the booster shooter” she called herself, and later that year she was named chaplain of the men’s basketball team. The role, she writes in her memoir, became "the most transformational and transcendent position” of her life.

“Sports are very important because they help develop life skills,” she said. “And during those life skills, you’re also talking about faith and purpose.” Her motto: “Worship, Work, Win.”

“I know that God will call me when he wants me. So, I just feel I have a lot more work to do,” she said.