Henry 'Model T' Ford (November 1, 1931 – June 10, 2021) was an
American football defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
for the
Cleveland Browns and
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
of the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
, 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 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.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Henry
1931 births
2021 deaths
American football defensive backs
Pittsburgh Panthers football players
Cleveland Browns players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Players of American football from Pennsylvania
People from Homestead, Pennsylvania
Sportspeople from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania