Skip to content

Loyola-Chicago's Sister Jean celebrates 100th birthday

Icon Sportswire / Getty

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the Loyola-Chicago men's basketball team chaplain who stole the spotlight during the 2018 NCAA Tournament, turned 100 years old Wednesday.

In celebration of the milestone, the school has launched the Sr. Jean Birthday Wish Challenge in an attempt to raise $100,000 for the Worship, Work, Win fund for student athletic excellence and student-athlete welfare.

Chicago's LEGOLAND Discovery Center also joined in on the celebration by creating a lego statue in Sister Jean's likeness.

"You always hear when people retire they go down here, their mind goes," Loyola men's basketball coach Porter Moser told Josh Frydman of WGN TV. "Well, she's 100, but not close to retiring from having a purpose. She has a purpose every day in this community."

Asked what her secret is to living a long life, Sister Jean replied, "I eat well, I sleep well, and hopefully, I pray well. You have to learn to take care of yourself. I teach young men and women to take care of yourself because if you don't, you're not going to be any good to take care of anyone else."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox