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Loyola Chicago Men's Basketball Chaplain Sister Jean Celebrates 100th Birthday
August 21, 2019
The chaplain for Loyola Chicago's men's basketball team, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, turned 100 on Wednesday.
Chicago Tribune Sports @ChicagoSportsSister 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
NCAA March Madness @marchmadnessSister 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
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."
