George W. “Zip” Zabel was born on February 18, 1891, in Wetmore, Kansas.

An all-around athlete, Zip set an exceptional undergraduate record of athletic versatility at Baker University. In his senior year, he was elected captain of the football team, on which he was a guard, and the baseball team, on which he pitched.

He pitched for the Chicago Cubs in 1913, 1914, and 1915, compiling a 2.71 E.R.A. On June 17, 1915, Zip relieved the starting pitcher after two-thirds of an inning and then pitched the most relief innings in one game to lead the Cubs to a 4–3 win over Brooklyn in 19 innings.

Zip moved to Beloit in 1917 and played with the Beloit Fairies baseball team for many years.

In 1918, he organized and coached the Fairbanks Morse basketball team, as well as playing all positions on the team. He resigned in 1927 after the Fairies won the State Championship. Among the teams Beloit defeated that year were the Fort Wayne Caseys, the Chicago 201st Artillery, and the New York Nationals.