CHICAGO — Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, a nun who became a national sports icon for cheering on the Loyola men’s basketball teams during their NCAA Tournament runs, died Thursday, the school said . She was 106.

Sister Jean, as seemingly everyone on campus and later the sports world knew her, had served as the team chaplain since 1994 until her retirement this summer. For decades she was a fixture at Ramblers games, offering pregame prayers with players and fans.

She became nationally adored as Loyola made a seemingly miraculous Final Four run in 2018 as her wheelchair was pushed onto the court after each victory and Loyola players greeted her with gentle hugs as they exited the floor.

“In many roles at Loyola over the course of more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable sourc

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