It’s just not March Madness without Sister Jean.
The now 104-year-old superfan and official team chaplain of the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers has become a fixture of the sport ever since LUC made a Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2018.
So it was such a delight to fans everywhere to see her court-side again for the team’s first game of March at Gentile Arena. It was a particularly massive game, too, as No. 21 Dayton arrived in Chicago as a 1.5-point road favorite, only for the Ramblers to pull off the 77-72 upset.
You just can’t even begin to doubt the power of a Sister Jean pep talk in the huddle.
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt prays for the Loyola Ramblers basketball team before a game against the Dayton Flyers at Gentile Arena on March 1, 2024, in Chicago.
🏀🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/LczsdOkewO
— john j. kim (@jkimpictures) March 2, 2024
Sister Jean in the house tonight for a huge @atlantic10 clash 🙌
(via @DavidPJablonski)
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 2, 2024
It’s the Ramblers’ first victory over a ranked opponent since 2021 and a perfect way to kick off the most important month in the sport. If this is the start of another miracle run for Loyola, don’t forget who was there to help kick it all off.
