At 106 years old, Sister Jean is officially calling it a career as the campus minister and men's basketball team chaplain of Loyola Chicago. The former March Madness sensation, whose full name is Jean Dolores Schmidt, is retiring, according tostudent publication The Loyola PhoenixandFox 32 Chicago. She is reportedly doing so amid health concerns, afterpreviously blaming "a summer cold and other health issues"for not being on campus at the start of the school year last month. In the same statement, school president Mark Reed said that Schmidt is no longer on campus: "While Sister Jean is no longer able to be physically present on campus, she remains a beloved friend, trusted advisor, and loyal Rambler — cheering for our teams and praying for us all daily." It was in the NCAA tournament where Schmidt became a beloved figure well beyond a single Jesuit school in Chicago. Loyola became the darling of the 2018 tournament when the team made the Final Four as an No. 11 seed. As the Ramblers racked up wins, Schmidt — then a spry 98 years old —became the unlikely face of the teamandregularly appeared courtside. Even after their season ended, Schmidt was still remembered in the college basketball world. She wasfondly welcomed back for Loyola's next March Madness appearance in 2021andhas even thrown a first pitch at Wrigley Field since then. It is thanks to her we can definitively say thatthere is a nun with a Final Four ring. Schmidt began teaching at Chicago's Mundelein College in 1961 and followed along when it merged with Loyola in 1991. She became the team chaplain in 1994 and made the job her own, offering the team scouting reports,even during prayers. She is also popular around campus, greeting students even when she was north of 100.
