A Chicago Icon is Retiring at 106-Years-Old

A fixture on a campus university as well as a larger-than-life Chicago icon is retiring at the age of 106-years-old following decades of service to the students and school that loved her as much as she loved them.

Allow me to take you back to March Madness 2018. It was one of the most fun and unpredictable tournaments college basketball in history. Many thought the craziness peaked when 16-seed UMBC upset 1-seed Virginia in the first round, the first time that ever happened. Furthermore, all four top-seeded teams in a single region (the South) failed to advance to the Sweet 16.

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How an Elderly Team Chaplain Became an Overnight Sensation:

Furthermore, the "Cinderella team" that year was the Loyola–Chicago Ramblers, who made it all the way to the Final Four. They became only the fourth 11-seed to reach the Final Four. I was in college in the western suburbs of Chicago at the time, and it was bedlam. Local news, sports talk radio, professors, and more were all talking about Loyola–Chicago, as well as the woman who became the face of the program on a national level.

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, a sweet, grandmotherly woman who was never seen without a smile on her face, became a fixture in the sports world. A religious sister of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as the chaplain for the Loyola–Chicago men's basketball team.

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Sister Jean Officially Calls it a Career at 106-Years-Old:

Per Fox 32 Chicago, concerns about Sister Jean's health began to rise when she didn't make an appearance during the Ramblers' NIT semifinal game in April 2025. In August, Loyola–Chicago University President Mark Reed announced that Sister Jean would no longer be "physically present on campus." Now, she's officially announced her retirement, at 106-years-old.

On her birthday, August 21st, Sister Jean made an announcement to university students with a simple, laudable message:

Let your dreams become reality. Don’t let anybody stop you. You are the future leaders of our churches, our schools, our country, and our world - Sister Jean's statement, per Fox 32 Chicago

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Sister Jean's Life Should Be the Basis of a Movie:

Schmidt was born in San Francisco in 1919, and spent decades teaching young people before moving to Chicago and working for Mundelein College, which then merged with Loyola in 1991.

When she became the Ramblers' basketball team chaplain in 1994, she became renowned for her scouting reports, pregame prayers, and courtside encouragement of players. Upon publishing her memoir, Wake Up with Purpose! What I've Learned in My First 100 Years, in 2023, she received a proclamation from then-President Joe Biden.

Read more about Sister Jean's retirement from Loyola–Chicago on Fox 32 Chicago's website.