Harold Bradley , Jr . 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 . Childhood . Harold Bradley Jr . was born in Chicago , Illinois , 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 . University of Iowa . 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 . Professional football . 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 . By playing four seasons of pro football in the 1950s , Bradley joined with his father to complete the first African - American father - son combination to ever play in the NFL . Artistic career , television host and movie roles . Bradley earned a scholarship in 1959 to study at the University for Foreigners of Perugia in Italy . He then opened an art studio in Rome named Folkstudio in 1962 . During the day , Bradley used the studio to display his paintings while turning it into a jazz club in the evenings . Several prominent musicians , including Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger , would go on to perform at Folkstudio . Bradley also broke into acting in 1960 , landing a role the following year in the film " Barabbas " . He would star in more than a dozen Italian films over the next seven years , mostly in the sword - and - sandal genre . Bradley ' s cinematic work during this time included notable roles in two 1965 films : Tucos in " Sette contro tutti " ( Seven Rebel Gladiators ) and George Harris in " La capanna dello zio Tom " ( Uncle Tom ’ s Cabin ) . In 1968 , Harold Bradley Jr . moved back to the United States after accepting a job as a curator for the Illinois Arts Council , in Chicago . He went on to teach history of education at the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign and work with the university ' s Center for Upgrading Education Services ( CUES ) in its extension projects with local Champaign schools . Later , he took on a posting at the Illinois State Board of Education , in Springfield , producing instructional and educational television . During the 18 years he spent commuting between Champaign , Illinois and Springfield , Illinois he produced and hosted three prime - time public - affairs shows - Soul Side , Close - Up for the CBS affiliate and " People Beat " for the NBC affiliate . Race and intercultural issues were the main focus of his interviews . During the next two decades , Bradley also made occasional appearances in movies and on television . Bradley visited Italy in 1987 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Folkstudio , and he soon decided to take up permanent residence there . Since returning to Italy , Bradley has made a few more film appearances – mostly in Italian films and a small role in the movie " Daylight " , starring Sylvester Stallone . He has also appeared on six albums of spiritual - and folk - inspired music . Personal life . Harold Bradley Jr . currently resides in Rome , Italy . He and his wife Hannelore have two daughters , Michaela and Lea , and a son , Oliver . Special Collaboration . Lionel Hampton , Pete Seeger , Totò Torquati , Luca Casagrande , Annette Meriweather , Jho Jenkins , Tony Scott , Juliette Gréco , Gianni Morandi , Nanni Loy , Gordon Scott , Pina Cei , Mark Forest , Thomas Fritsch , John Kitzmiller , Alfredo Kraus , Eduardo Sola - Franco , Géza von Radványi , Anthony Quinn , Jack Palance , Elizabeth Taylor