National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveils new Sister Jean bobblehead

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a new Sister Jean bobblehead Wednesday morning just in time for the NCAA tournament.

The 101-year-old chaplain for the Loyola Ramblers basketball team was cleared earlier this week to be in attendance as the team opens the tournament Friday against Georgia Tech in Indianapolis after clinching its spot by defeating Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game.

Sister Jean, whose national celebrity was born in 2018 when the Ramblers made a run to the Final Four, has not attended a game since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This has been a unique and unforgettable season for Loyola’s Men’s Basketball, both on and off the court, and we are excited to go and dance at March Madness in Indianapolis,” Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt said in a statement. “I am excited to watch my beloved Ramblers in-person in Indy on Friday.”

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This is the third bobblehead of Sister Jean and features her in a wheelchair wearing a maroon and gold Loyola letter jacket. Sister Jean’s 2018 bobblehead became the best-selling bobblehead in Bobble Head Hall of Fame history in its first 40 hours of sales, outperforming Dabo Swinney and Deshaun Watson.

The new $25 bobbleheads are only available for purchase through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s online store and are expected to ship in July.

A portion of the sales will benefit Sister Jean’s religious order, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Loyola’s athletic department.

The No. 8-seeded Ramblers begin tournament play Friday at 3 p.m. against the No. 9-seeded Yellow Jackets.

“I am truly honored that the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is creating another Sister Jean bobblehead,” said Sister Jean.