Sooner Nation remembers former Oklahoma football All-American Steve Zabel

Former Oklahoma All-American tight end Steve Zabel passed away this week at the age of 78.

Zabel was a two-way player, something that is highly unusual in college football in the modern era, playing both tight end on offense and linebacker on defense while at Oklahoma. He played three seasons at Oklahoma under head coach Chuck Fairbanks, but he began his collegiate career at New Mexico Military Institute.

Oklahoma was one of several schools that had an interest in Zabel after his freshman season in New Mexico. In an interview for the 2005 book "What It Means to be a Sooner," Zabel recalled his first visit to the OU campus over the weekend of the 1967 Spring Game.

"I ran into (then offensive coordinator) Barry Switzer," Zabel shared, "and he pulled me close and said, 'If you come here, you can start next year and we'll go out and win some championships.'

"That's all it took."

Although Zabel had been recruited by former Oklahoma head coach Jim MacKenzie and his staff, MacKenzie died suddenly in 1967 following his first season as the Sooners' head coach. Before his death, however, MacKenzie had brought in Fairbanks as defensive backs coach and Switzer as offensive coordinator.

Steve Zabel was one of the last of the 2-way football players at Oklahoma

A Minnesota native who moved to Colorado for most of his formative years, Zabel immediately became the Sooners' starting tight end his sophomore season in 1967. He caught 23 passes that season for 343 yards and three touchdowns.

OU finished 10-1 in Zabel's sophomore season and was the Big Eight champion with a 7-0 record and a No. 3 national ranking in the final Associated Press poll. It was team's first conference championship since 1962 and the first 10-win season since 1958. The Sooners were rewarded with a trip to the Orange Bowl, where they defeated No. 2 Tennessee 26-24.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds during his playing days at OU, Zabel played both tight end and linebacker his junior season in 1968 and also did some punting on special teams. He caught 19 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns as a junior and was a Second Team All-American. He earned First-Team All-America honors his senior season, playing alongside Heisman Trophy winner Steve Owens on offense.

Oklahoma was 23-9 the three years Zabel was at OU. He was selected as a tight end by the Philadelphia Eagles with the sixth overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft. He spent 10 years in the NFL (five with Philadelphia, four with the New England Patriots and one with the Baltimore Colts).

Zabel started seven games at tight end his rookie season with the Eagles, but switched to linebacker for the next nine seasons. He was named to New England's 1970s All-Decade Team.

Zabel returned to nearby Oklahoma City after his NFL playing days had ended and became a fixture in the OKC area with his non-profit and charitable work. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

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