January 16 – Tributes continue to pour in for Cyrille Regis following the death at 59 of the former England international who blazed a trail for black footballers at a time when racism in the game was rife in England.
Regis, who was a West Bromwich Albion legend scoring 112 goals in 297 appearances, also won five caps for England but was best known for symbolising the struggle against racism in the 1970s and 1980s and inspiring a generation of black players who were regularly subject to fan abuse.
Regis, who also played for a number of other clubs, retired in 1996. Together with Brendon Batson and the late Laurie Cunningham – who died in a car accident in Spain in 1989 – he formed part of a West Brom trio nicknamed ‘The Three Degrees’ by then manager Ron Atkinson.
Appointed an MBE in 2008, he returned to West Brom as a coach before becoming a football agent. Reports suggest he suffered a heart attack.
“The racism was quite abhorrent but I turned a negative into a positive,” Regis once recalled. “I chased harder and played harder, I wanted to score goals and win points.”
Former England striker and television presenter Gary Lineker described Regis as “a tremendous striker and fine man whose legacy goes beyond the game, helping to pave a way for black footballers in this country.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1713940870labto1713940870ofdlr1713940870owedi1713940870sni@w1713940870ahsra1713940870w.wer1713940870dna1713940870