Steve Zabel, who excelled as a two-way player in college football and went on to a 10-year NFL career, died Wednesday at the age of 78. No cause of death was immediately released.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Zabel played tight end at the University of Oklahoma under coach Chuck Fairbanks. In 1968, his junior season, he earned Second-Team All-American honors while also becoming a significant contributor on defense. Zabel recalled that Fairbanks asked him to play defensive end in addition to tight end to help the team win games.
"For me, it was a great transition. I played both ways and punted, and we won our last six games in a row and won the Big Eight Championship," Zabel said in a 2021 interview.
After returning to offense for his senior year, Zabel was selected sixth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1970 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he made eight starts and caught one touchdown in 14 games. However, Eagles coaches believed his playing style was better suited for defense. They proposed moving him to outside linebacker, an opportunity Zabel embraced.
He then shed approximately 40 pounds to transition to outside linebacker for his second season, where he would play for the remainder of his professional career. Zabel played in 110 games on defense, recording 13 fumble recoveries and 14 sacks across his career with the Eagles, Patriots, and the Baltimore Colts.
Following his retirement from the NFL, Zabel coached high school football and established several charitable programs in Oklahoma City. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. Zabel is survived by his wife, three children, several grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.