THE LATE trailblazing Cyrille Regis has been inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame.
And the latest honour for the Coventry City and West Brom legend has been widely welcomed.
Cyrille’s widow Julia Regis and his brother Dave received the prestigious Hall of Fame award from former England and Liverpool winger John Barnes in a ceremony at Aston Villa.
Regis became a household name in the 1970s representing four West Midlands clubs. He started his career at West Bromwich Albion, where along with Brendan Batson and Laurie Cunningham, (known as ‘The Three Degrees’), Regis pioneered black participation in professional football.
The former England international joined Coventry City in 1984 and appeared 238 times for the club, scoring 47 goals.
The striker went on to become an FA Cup winner with the Sky Blues, in the 1987 final against Tottenham Hotspur, where Coventry won 3-2 in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley.
Regis also played for Aston Villa, Wolves, Wycombe and Chester.
Julia, who now leads the Cyrille Regis Legacy Trust, said: “Cyrille being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a lovely gesture by the National Football Museum.
“As a family, we remain immensely proud of the impact he made on the game both on and off the field. Cyrille’s legacy lives on and it was great that many of the young people he continues to inspire were present at the induction.”
The Hall of Fame Awards, supported by the Professional Footballers’ Association, celebrate the achievements of players who made an outstanding contribution to the game, either on or off the pitch. Past recipients include Cyrille’s former Albion teammate Bryan Robson, England women’s record goalscorer Kelly Smith, George Best and Rio Ferdinand.
Tim Desmond, CEO of the National Football Museum, said: “Cyrille is the first inductee for our refreshed Hall of Fame which aims to recognise a wider diversity of those special football people who have made an outstanding contribution to the game of our lives.
“Cyrille was a pioneer and role model and it is fitting he is our first new inductee. We’re delighted Julia and Dave accepted the Hall-of-Fame Award on Cyrille’s behalf, as members of the Regis family ensure Cyrille’s memory, and the community work that was close to his heart, lives on through the Cyrille Regis Legacy Trust.”
After presenting the award, John Barnes said: “It was an honour and a privilege to present this award to Julia and Dave in memory of such an iconic footballer who was an inspiration to so many black players.
“Cyrille was a superstar on so many levels but remained grounded and humble.”
Cyrille was awarded an MBE in 2008 for his services to charity and football, scored more than 200 goals in just under 750 appearances during a professional career spanning two decades.
Cyrille and his family attended the Renewal Christian Centre in Solihull. He died last year on January 14, aged 59.
