Sister Jean is headed back to March Madness.
Loyola-Chicago confirmed Tuesday that Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the 101-year-old chaplain for the school’s basketball team, will be in attendance Friday when the Ramblers open the NCAA tournament against Georgia Tech in Indianapolis. The Ramblers won the Missouri Valley Conference championship and are the No. 8 seed in the Midwest region.
Sister Jean, who became an international celebrity during Loyola-Chicago’s run to the Final Four in 2018, has not attended games since the coronavirus pandemic began. She delivered pregame prayers virtually throughout the season but remained in a senior independent living apartment in downtown Chicago.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Sister Jean has been lobbying school officials to allow her to travel to Indianapolis. She has received a vaccine for COVID-19, but the school had other concerns about safety.
“They said there’s restrictions,” Sister Jean recently told the Tribune. “You can’t run down on the court. You can’t talk to the young men. I said, ‘I’m not going to run down on the court, and I’m not going to cause any disturbance.’ I said, ‘I won’t do things I’m not supposed to.'”
Sister Jean also wanted to attend the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in St. Louis earlier this month but was denied.
“She was so mad,” Loyola coach Porter Moser told ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago. “She said, ‘Porter, I looked them in the eye and said I’m more healthy than you. I have my vaccination. I’ve been tested 30 times.'”
Born Aug. 21, 1919, Sister Jean joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary convent in Iowa after graduating high school. She joined the staff at Loyola-Chicago in 1991 and has served as the basketball team chaplain since 1994.