Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the spirited chaplain who captured the nation’s heart during Loyola Chicago’s improbable 2018 Final Four run, died Thursday at age 106, the university announced.
Born Dolores Bertha Schmidt on Aug. 21, 1919, in San Francisco, she joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1937, taking the name Sister Jean Dolores.
Her ministry in education and campus life spanned more than eight decades, from Catholic classrooms in California and Chicago to her post as Loyola’s team chaplain—a role that made her one of the most recognizable figures in college basketball.
Her fame grew nationally in March 2018, when the Loyola Ramblers made their Cinderella run to the NCAA Final Four. Seated courtside in her maroon-and-gold scarf, the 98-year-old nun became a symbol of faith, optimism, and school spirit.
ESPN and CNN chronicled her pregame prayers and halftime pep talks, and fans across the country lined up to buy bobbleheads and shirts bearing her motto, “Worship, Work, Win.”
Yet Jean remained humble amid the spotlight. In interviews, she insisted her role was about the players, not celebrity. “That's being a person for others by just being yourself,” she said. “That's the way I am. I have to be myself. I tell students that—you'll see people that you admire, you can do some of the things they do, but you have to be yourself. God made you the person who you are.”
After earning a master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Jean moved to Chicago in 1961 to teach at Mundelein College, a private Catholic women’s school that later affiliated with Loyola. She served as dean and academic advisor there before joining Loyola’s staff full-time in 1991.
In 1994, at age 75, she accepted what she thought would be a small retirement project—helping student-athletes balance schoolwork and basketball.
That volunteer role became her lifelong mission. By 1996, she was appointed official chaplain to the men’s basketball team, offering scouting notes, postgame emails, and spiritual encouragement to generations of Ramblers.
Coach Porter Moser once said, “She still sends me an email after every single game. There is no human like her.”
Jean’s reach went far beyond basketball. She founded SMILE—Students Moving Into the Lives of the Elderly—a volunteer program that connected Loyola students with residents of The Clare, the retirement community where she lived. She also led weekly campus prayer sessions and delivered motivational talks to new students each fall.
Jean chronicled her faith and philosophy in her 2023 memoir, “Wake Up With Purpose!: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years.” In it, she reflected on her lifelong commitment to education and joy. “All I’ve ever wanted to do was to serve God, and my way of doing that has been to work with young people, encourage them, give them spiritual guidance, and help them live out their dreams,” she wrote.
In her later years, Jean remained active and outspoken. “Sometimes when people retire they become reclusive,” she wrote. “I could never have just sat in my room or been by myself all the time. I would have missed people too much—especially young people. I needed to wake up with purpose every day.”
Her life of service earned her numerous honors, including induction into the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Sword of Loyola award in 2018. She received proclamations from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and, on her 105th birthday, President Joe Biden. Pope Francis granted her an Apostolic Blessing for her 100th birthday in 2019.
She is survived by her sister-in-law, Margaret Schmidt of San Rafael, California, nieces, nephews, and members of the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 88 years.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Loyola University Chicago.