Harold Bradley, Jr.
| Date of birth | October 13, 1929 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Chicago |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| College | Iowa |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1954–1956 | Cleveland Browns |
| 1958 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Career stats | |
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Harold Willard Bradley Jr. (October 13, 1929) is a former American football player and an Italian actor, singer, artist, and painter. He played college football at the University of Iowa and played four seasons in the NFL from 1954–1958. Harold Bradley Jr. later starred in over 25 Italian films as an actor and opened an art and music studio in Rome.
Harold Bradley Jr. was born in Chicago, and grew up in the West Woodlawn neighborhood on Chicago's south side. His father, Harold Bradley Sr., was one of 13 African-Americans to participate in the National Football League before World War II, playing for the Chicago Cardinals in 1928. Like his father before him, Harold Bradley Jr. played football at Englewood High School in Chicago and enrolled at the University of Iowa after graduation.
By joining the Hawkeye football team, Harold Bradley Jr. completed the first African-American father-son combination to play football for the University of Iowa; his father played for the Hawkeyes in 1926. Bradley Jr. was one of five African-Americans to play for the Hawkeye football team in 1950, when the team finished the season with a road game at the University of Miami. Bradley and his four African-American teammates, nicknamed the "Orange Bowl Five", became the first African-Americans to play at the historic Orange Bowl stadium, a contest won by Miami, 14-6.
Bradley capped his Hawkeye football career by being named team MVP of the 1950 Iowa football team. He graduated from Iowa in 1951 with a degree in fine arts.
After leaving Iowa, Bradley served for three years in the U.S. Marines. He played football for a team called the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Devil Dogs from 1951–1953, where he was discovered by a coach for the Cleveland Browns. Bradley then played three seasons for the Cleveland Browns from 1954–1956, winning NFL championships with the team in 1954 and 1955. He finished his pro football career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958.
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