EDMOND — Former Oklahoma Sooners linebacker and NFL player Steve Zabel died at the age of 78. The University of Oklahoma confirmed Zabel's death on Friday, June 26, 2026.

Zabel played for the Oklahoma Sooners from 1967 to 1969, earning All-American honors in 1969. He won two Big 8 championships with the Sooners and earned All-Big 8 honors twice. During his college career, Zabel played both tight end and linebacker.

In 1967, Zabel caught 23 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns. In 1968, he caught 19 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns while also punting 58 times for the Sooners. That year, Oklahoma football coach Chuck Fairbanks asked him to play both tight end and linebacker.

Zabel recounted Fairbanks telling him, "He said, 'Steve, when you go play pro football, you'll be either at tight end or at linebacker, and we've proven we can't outscore people.'" Fairbanks then told Zabel, "We want you to play both ways." In 1968, Zabel earned second-team All-America honors from the Newspaper Enterprise Association.

Zabel was selected sixth overall in the 1970 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played ten seasons in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and Baltimore Colts. During his professional career, Zabel started 95 games at linebacker and was a member of the New England Patriots All-Decade Team.

In 2015, Zabel was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. He was originally from Minnesota and graduated from Thornton High School in Colorado, spending his freshman year of college at the New Mexico Military Institute.

A memorial service for Zabel is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, at Life.church in Edmond. Zabel is survived by his wife of 36 years, his three children, several grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.