Sister Jean, who encouraged the last four run of Loyola Chicago, will retire at the age of 106

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the Loyola University Chicago Chaplain, who became known in her 90s as one of the most recognizable fans of College Basketball, while encouraging the Ramblers during their surprising run to the Final Four in 2018, officially withdrawn from her public tasks at 106.

The university has announced this week that she is no longer physically active in its role. Sister Jean joined the Loyola campus community in 1991 and started serving the chaplain of the men’s basketball team three years later. In the course of the decades, she became a fixture in the daily life of Loyola, known for her pregame prayers, reconnaissance reports and radiant greeting of students on campus.

Her profile rose in 2018 when Loyola, a no. 11 seed, shocked the college basketball world by moving on to the last four. Sister Jean Courtside often found cameras, cheering in her chestnut scarf. She soon became a national symbol of the Feel-Good Underdog story of the Ramblers, embraced by both Loyola fans and the wider sports community.

Even in her later years, Sister Jean maintained a national profile. In 2023 she published “Wake up for goal! What I learned in my first 100 years”, a memoir that thinks about her life and lessons. The book attracted national attention and praise, including recognition by President Joe Biden.

Last spring she missed Loyola’s Nit Men’s semi -final game, causing them to worry about her health. Now, with its retirement of active campus life, the university community is reflecting on its estate.

Loyola President Mark Reed said that the spirit of Sister Jean will remain part of the school, even if she is less visible personally. “She will always be an integral member of our community,” he said. She also helped with setting up the sister Jean Scholarship Fund, which continues to support Loyola students in need.

(Photo: Roy Rochlin / Getty images)