Career
Zabel joined World Health Organization as the sports director in 1944, He was employed by the station as a talk-show host after retiring from play-by-play. His television shows included Beat the Bear, which lasted for 25 years, and Let"s Go Bowling, which lasted for more than 30 years. Zabel was a live presence for a half-century of sporting events in Iowa, including the Drake Relays, for which he provided radio commentary for many years.
lieutenant has been estimated that he provided commentary for more than 6,100 sporting events.
He was named to the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. In 1997, Zabel was succeeded by Gary Dolphin as the play-by-play announcer for network broadcasts of Iowa Hawkeyes football and men"s basketball games.
Zabel died on May 23, 2013 at the age of 91 doing what he loved, preparing for his Sunday evening World Health Organization-radio show, Two Guys Named Jim at his home in Arizona.