LOS ANGELES (May 6, 2020) - The Ramblers of Loyola are getting ready for their close-up.
 
Award-winning documentary team Christine O'Malley and Patrick Creadon are nearing completion of their newest film which explores the 1963 national champion Ramblers of Loyola University Chicago.  Producer Christine O'Malley (Taylor Swift: Miss Americana) looks forward to unveiling the new documentary later this year.  "The journey of the 1963 Ramblers is not only a great sports story, it's a relatively unknown one," said O'Malley, herself a Chicago native. "The sports films we're drawn to tend to be the ones that also examine the broader culture surrounding the story."

O'Malley Creadon began production of the film in the summer of 2019, little more than a year after the 2018 Ramblers stunned the sports world with their exhilarating trip to the Final Four. That team, led by coach Porter Moser and inspired by their 98-year-old team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, is largely responsible for bringing the story and significance of the 1963 Ramblers back into the spotlight.  Commenting on the harsh realities the 1963 team faced during their championship run, NBA analyst Kenny Smith says in the film "this is not 100 years ago, not 200 years ago, these are our fathers and grandfathers that have gone through this type of environment." Coach Moser and Sister Jean also make appearances.
 
The 1963 Loyola Ramblers, coached by the enigmatic George Ireland, were an unlikely championship team. The starting lineup, consisting of four black players, broke the color barriers that existed in college sports at the time.  Facing enormous obstacles both on and off the court, the '63 Ramblers fought opposing teams, hostile crowds and at times even themselves as they pursued college basketball's biggest prize.  
 
"As a university, we've always taken great pride in the accomplishments of the 1963 Ramblers and the role they played in the civil rights struggles of the 1960's," said Loyola Athletic Director Steve Watson.  "At a time when these struggles continue throughout the world, we believe this story will resonate with people from all walks of life."
 
Director Patrick Creadon, also a Chicago native, is excited to be making a second documentary about college sports.  His 2016 film "Catholics vs. Convicts", a look at the Notre Dame-Miami football rivalry of the 1980's, was produced in association with ESPN's acclaimed "30 for 30" series and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.  "There's something very special about college sports.  At a time when so many of our traditions and routines have been put on hold, the story of a small group of underdogs chasing their dreams is as valuable and necessary as ever."
 
 
 
About O'Malley Creadon Productions
O'Malley Creadon Productions is one of the leading documentary teams in the United States. They have twice been nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and have received multiple awards and nominations for their work. Credits include Wordplay (2006), I.O.U.S.A. (2008), If You Build It (2014), Hesburgh (2019), and the ESPN "30 for 30" film Catholics vs. Convicts (2016).