Loyola Chicago Men's Basketball Chaplain Sister Jean Celebrates 100th Birthday

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistAugust 21, 2019

FILE- In this Nov. 27, 2018, file photo, Loyola of Chicago's Sister Jean shows off the NCAA Final Four ring she received before an NCAA college basketball game between Loyola of Chicago and Nevada in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton, File)

Matt Marton/Associated Press

The chaplain for Loyola Chicago's men's basketball team, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, turned 100 on Wednesday.

Chicago Tribune Sports @ChicagoSports
Sister Jean, a fixture at Loyola basketball games, turns 100 today. Her secret to a long life? "I eat well and sleep well. And hopefully I pray well." @sryantribune's story on the darling of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. https://t.co/sIkwbhdbgO https://t.co/lcpiJ9SoNr

WGNTV @WGNTV
Happy Birthday to #Chicago's Very Own SIster Jean, who today turns 100. https://t.co/cUtVoFWqMC

CBS Sports @CBSSports
Happy 100th birthday to Sister Jean! Her joy and passion for the Loyola Ramblers during their run to the Final Four remains one of the best stories in March Madness history. https://t.co/eDUySocNGk

NCAA March Madness @marchmadness
Sister Jean turns 💯 tomorrow! What’s the secret to longevity? Biggest surprise over her 100 years? Expectations for Loyola Chicago this season? @TheAndyKatz discusses it all with the @RamblersMBB chaplain just before she becomes a centenarian! #SisterJean100 🎂 https://t.co/B4UYG86pnc

Porter Moser @PorterMoser
HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY SISTER JEAN!! No one has more energy, passion and love than you! You truly are the heart and soul of the #Ramblers! We love you! #SisterJean100 ❤️💯🎂 https://t.co/1czJsFcbhp

She became famous during Loyola Chicago's improbable run in the 2018 NCAA tournament, when the Ramblers reached the Final Four. Her birthday is being honored in a number of ways, from "a Lego likeness of her that will be on display at the Legoland Discovery Center through October, when it will be moved to the Ramblers' Gentile Arena," per ESPN, to an exhibit at the Loyola Museum of Art.

Loyola Chicago is also raising $100,000 for an athletic endowment in her honor, according to Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune. But Sister Jean is hoping her legacy goes beyond that.

"The legacy I want is that I helped people and I was not afraid to give my time to people and teach them to be positive about what happens and that they can do good for other people," she told Ryan. "And being willing to take a risk. People might say, 'Why didn't I do that?' Well, just go ahead and try it—as long as it doesn't hurt anybody."