Henry Ford (defensive back)

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. After being drafted, he spent the 1955 season with the Browns and 1956-'57 with the Steelers. He was cut by the Steelers in 1957 after it was learned that he was dating a white woman. It was brought to the Rooney's attention and after refusing to stop dating her, he was released. He was never able to clear out his locker or talk to his teammates. He never went public with what happened at the time because he felt it wouldn't do any good. That girlfriend, Rochelle, ended up being his wife for 52 years. 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". Henry Ford died on June 10, 2021.