I know my old friend and proud Hawkeye fan, Reid Hanley, would be sad today. Jim Zabel, a long-time fixture on Iowa radio broadcasts, died Thursday at 91.

From the Des Moines Register:

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.

The story had this quote from Zabel:

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