He began his career at the age of 13, in c. 1934, when he noticed the local Progressive Weekly newspaper did not include a sports section.

[1] Following his graduation from high school, Zabitka worked as a laborer at the Sun Shipyard & Drydock Co. before being drafted in the United States Navy to serve in World War II.

[2] Following his return to the United States, he wrote columns sponsored by local businesses, and convinced them to buy advertising space for his stories.

[2] After ten years of working with the Chester Times, Zabitka left after a job offer with The News Journal by Al Cartwright.

He said he wanted to beef up coverage of sports in Delaware ... On the last Saturday of September I covered a high school football game for the Chester paper.

He can only guess at the number of stories he wrote for the paper before computers made it easy to check – or of stories he wrote for what would become the Delaware County Daily Times, in Chester, before he was lured away by former News Journal sports editor Al Cartwright.

[4] He spent 40 years regularly writing for The News Journal, finally retiring in 2002.

[5] Also in 2002 was the publishing of Matt Zabitka, Sports: 60 Years of Headlines and Deadlines, his biography written by Ed Okonowics and Jerry Rhodes.

[6] Ed Gebhart, who he worked with for the Chester Times, said "I don't know what the situation is in heaven these days, but I do know this: If there's not a newspaper up there, with Matt on board, there soon will be.