First-team All-Eastern (1952) Henry 'Model T' Ford (November 1, 1931 – June 10, 2021) was an American football defensive back for the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, drafted in 1955 by Cleveland.
A quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh, Ford was the first African-American to play that position at a major college.
It was brought to the Rooney's attention and after refusing to stop dating her, he was released.
He never went public with what happened at the time because he felt it wouldn't do any good.
[3] He was awarded the Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame's President's Award in 2015 for "displaying superior courage, integrity and professionalism beyond the playing field".