Loyola University Chicago surprised Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt this week with an NCAA Final Four appearance ring. The 99-year-old chaplain became a national star after an improbable March Madness run.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
And we have an update now on an unlikely celebrity who emerged during last season’s Final Four.
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UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER #1: And the Wranglers are moving on.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
A couple years shy of a hundred years old, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt gained international fame as the team chaplain for Chicago’s Loyola University basketball team.
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UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER #2: Ladies and gentlemen, Layola athletics Hall of Famer Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt.
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KELLY: Eight months later, the school and the team are saying thank you. Sister Jean has been given a Final Four appearance ring.
CHANG: Sitting courtside, wearing a maroon Loyola University jacket, the team chaplain was presented with the blinged-out ring by a member of the 1963 tournament-winning team. She joked that she’s got something new to show off now.
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JEAN DOLORES SCHMIDT: I’ve probably gained five pounds by having this on my finger now.
KELLY: Sister Jean is known for, well, praying for Loyola victories – not only that but also praying for the opposing team and referees. Last March, with a standing-room-only crowd, Sister Jean held her own news conference.
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SCHMIDT: Well, this is the most fun I’ve had in my life. It is. It’s just so much fun for me to be here. And I almost didn’t get here. But I fought hard enough to do that.
CHANG: Next March, Loyola fans and Sister Jean will be hoping for another miracle tournament run.
KELLY: In the meantime, she’s got that bling ring to remind her of last year’s incredible season.
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