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University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU Mourns the Passing of Football Standout Steve Zabel
June 26, 2026 | Football
NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department is saddened by the passing of former OU All-America football player Steve Zabel, who starred at OU from 1967-69 as a tight end, linebacker and punter under head coach Chuck Fairbanks. He was 78.
A Minnesota native who graduated from Thornton (Colo.) High School and spent his freshman year of college at New Mexico Military Institute, Zabel arrived in Norman in 1967 and promptly became the Sooners' starting tight end, catching 23 passes that year for 343 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning 30-yard score late in a 14-10 home contest against Kansas that helped propel OU to the Big Eight title, an Orange Bowl appearance (beat No. 2 Tennessee 26-24) and a final No. 3 AP ranking. The Sooners finished 10-1 overall and 7-0 in conference play.
As a junior in 1968, Fairbanks had Zabel play both tight end and defensive end after the team's rocky start to the season. With Zabel playing a role on both sides of the ball, OU rebounded from an early 2-3 performance to win five straight games, go 6-1 against league opponents to claim another Big Eight crown and finish No. 11 in the AP poll. He earned second-team All-America honors from the Newspaper Enterprise Association after catching 19 passes for 237 yards and a career-high four TDs. He also punted 58 times.
Zabel shed defensive end responsibilities as a senior in 1969, catching 22 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown and logging 10 punts, and was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News. He finished his collegiate career with 64 receptions for 885 yards and eight TDs and was a two-time All-Big Eight performer and three-time Academic All-Big Eight honoree.
Selected with the sixth overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, Zabel spent 10 years playing professionally (five with Philadelphia, four with Fairbanks' New England Patriots and one with the Baltimore Colts). He started seven of his 14 games as a rookie tight end before converting to linebacker for his final nine seasons. He started 95 of 124 career games and was named to the Patriots' 1970s all-decade team.
Zabel returned to the Sooner State following his playing career and was a mainstay in the Oklahoma City-area community with his non-profit and charitable work. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
A Minnesota native who graduated from Thornton (Colo.) High School and spent his freshman year of college at New Mexico Military Institute, Zabel arrived in Norman in 1967 and promptly became the Sooners' starting tight end, catching 23 passes that year for 343 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning 30-yard score late in a 14-10 home contest against Kansas that helped propel OU to the Big Eight title, an Orange Bowl appearance (beat No. 2 Tennessee 26-24) and a final No. 3 AP ranking. The Sooners finished 10-1 overall and 7-0 in conference play.
As a junior in 1968, Fairbanks had Zabel play both tight end and defensive end after the team's rocky start to the season. With Zabel playing a role on both sides of the ball, OU rebounded from an early 2-3 performance to win five straight games, go 6-1 against league opponents to claim another Big Eight crown and finish No. 11 in the AP poll. He earned second-team All-America honors from the Newspaper Enterprise Association after catching 19 passes for 237 yards and a career-high four TDs. He also punted 58 times.
Zabel shed defensive end responsibilities as a senior in 1969, catching 22 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown and logging 10 punts, and was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News. He finished his collegiate career with 64 receptions for 885 yards and eight TDs and was a two-time All-Big Eight performer and three-time Academic All-Big Eight honoree.
Selected with the sixth overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, Zabel spent 10 years playing professionally (five with Philadelphia, four with Fairbanks' New England Patriots and one with the Baltimore Colts). He started seven of his 14 games as a rookie tight end before converting to linebacker for his final nine seasons. He started 95 of 124 career games and was named to the Patriots' 1970s all-decade team.
Zabel returned to the Sooner State following his playing career and was a mainstay in the Oklahoma City-area community with his non-profit and charitable work. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
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