David Crabbe was a natural athlete with speed and grace. He was a star football and basketball player at Queen Elizabeth High School (QEH) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He saw plenty of floor time on the QEH basketball team and with his team went on to win the Canadian Juvenile Championship. His coach saw the potential in Crabbe early on and knew he would excel at a higher level, particularly with football.

Crabbe went on to play for Kent State University for four years, where he was drafted by the Ottawa Rough Riders. His duration with the Rough Riders was cut before the end of his first training camp. Crabbe was then claimed on waivers by the Calgary Stampeders and played with them for four years, winning a Grey Cup with them in 1971.

While injuries are what caused his career to be cut short, Crabbe had the insight while in Calgary to start a career in the oil business. David Crabbe was elected to the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1996.