Tuesday, May 28, 2013

R.I.P.: Iowa Broadcasting Legend Jim Zabel

Jim Zabel
Jim Zabel, the broadcasting legend whose hyperbolic descriptions of University of Iowa sports teams entertained radio listeners for more than half a century, died Thursday at his Scottsdale, Ariz., home.

He was 91.

His wife, Jill, confirmed the news.  “He loved everybody, and his world was Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes,” she told the Register.

She said Jim was working in his office, preparing for his Sunday evening radio show, “Two Guys Named Jim,” which airs on WHO radio in Des Moines.

In a career spanning nearly seven decades at WHO radio in Des Moines, Zabel was the colorful play-by-play voice for more than 6,100 sporting events, including six Rose Bowls, 26 NCAA basketball tournaments and several runnings of the Drake Relays.

He once ran a footrace against Jesse Owens, followed Ronald Reagan as WHO’s sports director and hosted the longest-running bowling show in television history.

But Zabel was best known for his cries of “I love it! I love it! I love it!” that punctuated climactic moments during Hawkeye football and basketball games. “Hug and kiss those radios, folks,” he implored fans when his beloved Hawkeyes faced a dramatic turning point. “Man-oh-man-oh-man,” he groaned when critical fumbles or rim-clanking foul shots put a game out of reach.

“If you want to know what to put on my tombstone,” Zabel said in 1994, “just three words: I HAD FUN.”

In addition to his radio work, Zabel was the sports anchor for WHO-TV for many years. He hosted dozens of televised coach’s shows, as well as “Beat the Bear” and “Let’s Go Bowling,” which ran for more than 30 years. He was proud of his seven-days-a-week work schedule.


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