{"id":929655,"date":"2026-06-26T21:39:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T21:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/929655\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T21:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T21:39:24","slug":"steve-zabel-famed-two-way-college-and-nfl-player-dead-at-78","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/929655\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Zabel, famed two-way college and NFL player, dead at 78"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Steve Zabel, a pioneer or two-way play in college football, is dead at the age of 78.<\/p>\n<p>No cause of death was given for his Wednesday passing.<\/p>\n<p>Zabel, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, played tight end at Oklahoma for three years under Chuck Fairbanks, Second-Team All-American honors in 1968, a junior season that saw him become a force on defense, as well.<\/p>\n<p><img style=\"aspect-ratio:0.60253906;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"39806349\" width=\"355\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1479002848.jpg\" alt=\"New England Patriots player Steve Nelson wearing a number 54 jersey and a white Riddell helmet.\" class=\"wp-image-39806349\"  \/>Two-Way NFL player Steve Zabel Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChuck Fairbanks called me in his office and said, \u2018Steve, we\u2019ve proven we can\u2019t outscore people. We want you to play defensive end as well as tight end and see if we can\u2019t win some games,\u2019\u201d Zabel recalled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.philadelphiaeagles.com\/news\/where-are-they-now-steve-zabel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">in a 2021 interview with the Eagles<\/a>. \u201cFor 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After reverting back to offense for his senior season, Zabel entered the 1970 NFL Draft, where he was selected sixth overall by the Eagles.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As a rookie, he made eight starts for Philadelphia, catching on touchdown in 14 games. Coaches did not believe his style of play worked well on offense. <\/p>\n<p>His disposition didn\u2019t exactly help, either.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a rookie tight end, I\u2019d gotten kicked out of three games for fighting. And at the end of the year, they told me they didn\u2019t think I had the proper temperament to be successful on offense and wanted to move me to outside linebacker,\u201d Zabel says. \u201cI jumped at the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img style=\"aspect-ratio:0.66699219;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"39806334\" width=\"394\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-80134262.jpg\" alt=\"A Philadelphia Eagles player in a green and white striped jersey, with a mustache and sideburns, his hair disheveled, and a bandaged arm.\" class=\"wp-image-39806334\"  \/>Steve Zable on the Philadelphia Eagles NFL<\/p>\n<p>For his second season, he shed 40 of the 270 pounds he weighed as a blocking tight end to line up at outside linebacker, where he would play the rest of his career.<\/p>\n<p>Zabel played 110 games on defense, racking up 13 fumbles and 14 sacks across his 10-year career spent with the Eagles, Patriots and the Baltimore Colts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After retiring from the league, Zabel coached high school football and established numerous charitable programs in Oklahoma City.\u00a0He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2015<\/p>\n<p>Zabel is survived by his wife, three childen, several grandchildren and a great-grandchild.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Steve Zabel, a pioneer or two-way play in college football, is dead at the age of 78. 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