Cyrille Regis: Death Of A British Icon

Read Time:2 Minute, 14 Second

by Neil Bamforth

I presume most Americans will have no idea who Cyrille Regis was. If you do, excellent and my apologies. This article is for both those who do and those who do not.

Cyrille Regis was a top footballer (soccer player). He died today of a heart attack aged 59.

The reason many, including me, consider him an icon is partly because he was one of the first black players to wear an England shirt.

Viv Anderson was the first and, I think, Laurie Cunningham the second? Anyway, Regis was very much in the vanguard.

He spent much of his playing career with West Bromwich Albion, a club that spends its time bobbing up and down the leagues.

A hugely talented player, he quite rightly was selected for his country.

Sadly, the 1970’s in Britain were far from enlightened times – they still aren’t sometimes – particularly regarding racism and color prejudice on the terraces of football grounds.

To give you an inkling, even into the 1980’s much was left to be desired.

For example, when African Caribbean John Barnes made his debut for Liverpool, Liverpool supporters greeted him by throwing bananas onto the pitch.

A bizarre thing to do when you consider he was now a Liverpool player, one of the best players in the world and as graceful in his demeanor off the pitch as on it.

The extraordinary stupidity of racists clearly knows no bounds-especially in British football.

It has to be said things are much better today.

Cyrille Regis wrote about the racial abuse in his autobiography. It made the John Barnes banana incident pale into insignificance.

Quite how Regis managed to remain sane, let alone become a great player for both his club and England, is a testimony to the incredible dignity of the man.

Unlike many footballers, certainly in the 70’s and 80’s, who struggled to put together a cohesive sentence, Regis was clearly not just an intelligent footballer but an intelligent, and indeed, gracious man.

Together with Anderson, Cunningham, and others, Cyrille Regis bravely withstood the horrendous racial abuse and, in so doing, played a major roll in changing terrace culture.

Although racism and color prejudice exists today, Regis, through being both the player and, more importantly, the man he was, helped change the views of the ignorant.

He helped make the world a better place.

For that, he deserves our eternal gratitude.

This is one football fan who shed a tear at the dreadful news but will never forget a true British icon.

Cyrille. Your name and all you so courageously and gracefully stood for will never be forgotten.

Thank you most of all for being you.

About Post Author

Neil Bamforth

I am English first, British second and never ever European. I have supported Oldham Athletic FC for 50 years which has made me immune from depression. My taste buds have died due to too many red hot curries so I drink Kronenburg beer and milk - sometimes in the same glass. I have a wife, daughter, 9 cats and I like toast.
Happy
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of

32 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Neil Bamforth
6 years ago

Er….well I know the meaning of life is 42 if that’s any use? 😀

jess
Reply to  Neil Bamforth
6 years ago

Also Jackie Robinson’s jersey number that was retired, for every single baseball team in the majors. Every single game played on April 15th has the players, coaches and managers wear the number 42. Bits of useless info that float around my head, till it is useful again.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  jess
6 years ago

Don’t know Jackie but Smokey Robinson!!! There’s a superstar!!!

jess
Reply to  Neil Bamforth
6 years ago

Heathen. Only the first black player in the major leagues of baseball that had to put up with the exact same shit your guy Cyrille did but in the way earlier days of the 40s and 50s. Look for the movie 42 starring Harrison Ford and Chadwick Boseman(Black Panther FTW ya’ll) as Robinson. It gives a good feel of what he went through.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  jess
6 years ago

Of course I’m a heathen!! Wouldn’t be me otherwise 😉

Paperback Writer
6 years ago

I love soccer but not football. Does that make me a Limey or a Yank?

Mark Willis
6 years ago

One of the Three Degrees~With Cunningham and Batson.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  Mark Willis
6 years ago

Now that will be lost on Americans! 😀

I’d forgotten the nickname. Cheers! 👍

Bailey
6 years ago

He will be missed indeed.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  Bailey
6 years ago

👍

jess
6 years ago

Seems like a good guy, and sorry for the loss to his fans. Teenage me is crying today, along with adult me, after seeing Dolores O’Riordan from The Cranberries passed away. I had Zombie, Linger, Ode to My Family etc on constant repeat when I was but a tiny Jess.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  jess
6 years ago

Same here. What songs and what a voice! 😢

jess
Reply to  Neil Bamforth
6 years ago

AYUP The Cranberries helped me through a lot when I was a teenager. Dreams is my go to song when I am feeling a little down in the dumps. Ode to my family makes me shed tears every single time I hear it.

Reply to  jess
6 years ago

I’m showing my age. Never heard of them.

jess
Reply to  Professor Mike
6 years ago

Oh you would be in for a treat with any of their songs, even if you are an old 😉 Look up Zombie, I know you’ve heard it maybe did not know who sang it, same goes for Dreams,that was used in all kinds of movies and shows as fill in music in the 90s. Linger is excellent, any of her solo stuff all good. Tiny, teen Jess even cut all her hair off to have the pixie cut that O’Riordan had, she was such an inspiration. In hindsight and looking at old photos, it was a bad look, my long curly hair is way way better. Thankfully my hair grew quickly. Here ya go, Zombie and THAT voice, that voice just so haunting.

Reply to  jess
6 years ago

Wow! I LOVE this Jess. Listened to it (and watched) three times already. Thanks for sharing. What a talent.

jess
Reply to  Professor Mike
6 years ago

Just now seeing this reply for some reason. She was so upset about a bombing in Warrington, I think it was, that took the life of a kid she wrote this song.

Glenn R. Geist
6 years ago

Use the word “ignorance” and I’m repeating it because ignorance as a source of stupid ideas isn’t given enough credit. There was once a song about racism: “You have to be carefully taught” and I only disagree because in can be casually taught as well. There’s nothing like close association with a person or group to teach about the commonality of humanity. I know people who went off to war prejudiced and came home without it because their lives became entwined with people of other races. Respect and admiration for an individual can go a long way educationally too. I heard someone say that his belief that black people had inferior minds did not survive Count Basie. I can believe it. If the only black people you meet are picking up the garbage, you might think differently if instead they are fellow students or professors.

But didn’t the term “soccer” originate in England as shorthand for Society football? American football is the oddball and I thin merits the special title, not the football everyone on earth plays.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  Glenn R. Geist
6 years ago

Oh go on then…soccer it is 😉

Love the entire comment by the way

Holte Ender
Reply to  Glenn R. Geist
6 years ago

Glenn the word soccer crept out of English football’s old fashioned official name “Association Football”. Believe me, I know things like this. When I was a kid in England I was crazy about all things related to AsSOCiation Football.

jess
Reply to  Holte Ender
6 years ago

Look everyone Holte’s here/ Yayayayayayay

Holte Ender
Reply to  jess
6 years ago

Hello sweet Jess. Mention the magic words “AsSOCiation Football” and I’m there.

Reply to  Holte Ender
6 years ago

Holte! Nice to see you again, and your seemingly unlimited knowledge of such things is always welcome.

Holte Ender
Reply to  Professor Mike
6 years ago

Hi Mike.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  Holte Ender
6 years ago

Hi Holte…in case nobody knows he’s an Aston Villa fan…the Holte End being where the Villa fans stand…or sit these days.

Holte Ender
Reply to  Neil Bamforth
6 years ago

Well that’s blown my cover.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  Holte Ender
6 years ago

Oops 😀

Barleycorn
6 years ago

Football? You must mean soccer right? In America they play football, and in Europe, which still includes the UK, we play soccer. There. Sorted.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  Barleycorn
6 years ago

Nooooooooo!!!!!!

We play football! The Americans play some other weird game 😂😂😂😂

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  Barleycorn
6 years ago

I did put ‘soccer player’ in brackets by the way…..

Admin
6 years ago

Sorry old bean, but you’re right. Never heard of him, but if his passing (at a young age I might add) upsets his fans, you have my sympathies.

Neil Bamforth
Reply to  Professor Mike
6 years ago

A gentleman and a legend. Thanks old bean.

Previous post An Historical View Of Political Correctness
Next post Looney Joe Arpaio Suggests False Missile Alert Part Of Conspiracy Involving Obama’s Birth Certificate
32
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x