Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM, the Loyola University Chicago chaplain whose joyful courtside presence and pregame prayers captivated the nation during the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run, died October 9, 2025. She was 106, the university announced.

Born Dolores Bertha Schmidt on August 21, 1919, in San Francisco, she entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1937 and began a lifelong vocation in education and campus ministry.

She earned a B.A. from Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles in 1949 and an M.A. from Loyola University of Los Angeles in 1961.

An educator and girls' basketball coach in Catholic schools in California and Chicago, Sister Jean later joined Mundelein College on Chicago's North Side. When Mundelein affiliated with Loyola in 1991, she helped students through the transition and soon became a fixture of campus life.

In 1994, at 75, she became chaplain to Loyola Chicago's men's basketball team, a role she came to call "the most transformational and transcendent" of her life. Players and coaches cherished her scouting reports, frank encouragement, and faithful presence. She was inducted into Loyola's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

Sister Jean's national profile soared in March 2018 as Loyola blazed to the NCAA men's Final Four. Her quick wit, grounded spirituality, and team-first devotion made her an instant folk hero - memorialized in interviews, tributes, and even a bobblehead. She was back in the spotlight in 2021, when the Ramblers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.

She continued to mentor students well beyond her centennial. Her 2023 memoir, "Wake Up With Purpose! What I've Learned in My First 100 Years," distilled hard-won lessons about faith, service, and joy. Upon her 100th birthday, she received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker declared the day "Sister Jean Day." Five years later, President Joe Biden sent her a proclamation with a message including "You have shown us all that yours is a life well lived."

After turning 106 on August 21, 2025, Sister Jean stepped back from official duties due to health concerns, remaining an adviser in her final months.

Survivors include a sister-in-law, Jeanne Tidwell, and a niece, Jan Schmidt. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

By Legacy News Staff

(Image: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)