George W. Zabel was born February 18, 1891, in Wetmore, Kansas, the son of Albert H. and Belle Garvin Zabel. A graduate of Wetmore High School, he attended the University of Kansas one year and then went to Baker University where he graduated in 1916 with a BS degree. He was an outstanding athlete in high school and college. At Baker University he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

“Zip,” as he was known to his baseball colleagues, pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 1913–1917. On June 17, 1915, he came into the game with two outs in the first inning and led the Cubs to a 4–3 victory over Brooklyn in a 19-inning pitching duel. He holds the major league record for the most relief innings pitched in one game—18 1/3 innings.

Before coming to Beloit in 1917, he pitched for Toronto. In Beloit he joined the Fairies team which played in the Midwest Industrial League and drew capacity crowds in the ball park on North Park Avenue. Most of the team members were former major league stars.

In 1918 he organized, coached, and played with the Fairbanks Morse professional basketball team. This team played against the best pro teams in the country in the days before the National Basketball Association was organized.

Upon arrival in Beloit, Mr. Zabel was employed as a chemist for Fairbanks Morse and Company. He was later named chief chemist and metallurgist and general superintendent of all foundries for the firm, a position he held from 1934–1949. He then entered into a private consulting practice. In this capacity he worked for the Ford and Chrysler Motor Companies and for Borg Warner and constructed several foundries until his retirement in 1957.

His contributions to the community included one year on the city council and ten years, beginning in 1956, as a member of the Rock County Board of Supervisors. In the latter capacity he served on the public properties, parks, and salary and personnel committees.

He was a member of the American Foundry Society, the First Congregational Church, Beloit Elks Club, and the Beloit Masonic Order.

Ruby K. Kress and George Zabel were married on June 10, 1916, in Los Angeles where he played with the LA baseball team for a year before rejoining the Cubs in 1917.

George Zabel died May 31, 1970 and is buried in Beloit in Tabor Cemetery.