Hawthorns hero Cyrille Regis is releasing his autobiography: My Story, The autobiography of the first black icon of British football.
‘Big C’ joined the Baggies from Hayes in May 1977 and smashed over a hundred goals in Albion colours during his seven seasons in the stripes.
As one of the so-called “The Three Degrees”, Regis and his West Bromwich Albion team-mates, Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson, were among the first black British players to play at the top level of English football in the 1970s. Although Ron Atkinson was not at West Brom when either Regis or Cunningham were signed, it was Big Ron who brought Batson to the club and selected him, Cunningham and Regis together making the Albion unique in having three black players as first-choices.
Together, they were trailblazers who made a massive impact on English football, and whose mere presence challenged terrace bigots in an era of hooliganism and racial hatred. Ignoring the boos, nauseating racist chants and bananas hurled onto the pitch, West Brom’s “Three Degrees” turned on the style - Cunningham as a silky-skilled winger, cool-headed Batson at the back with Regis as a powerful, goal-hungry centre forward.
In the book Cyrille recalls his early childhood migration from a small village in French Guiana to London, on to playing for England and picking up his MBE at Buckingham Palace at 2008 as recognition for his services to football and the community.
Cyrille will be signing copies of his autobiography at the main club shop on September 11th before the Spurs game.