The Three Degrees: The Caribbean Footballers
June 23rd, 2009 by dom , 3 Comments
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In the late ’70s, British football club West Bromwich Albion had the most exciting team in English football… They played a trio of black players which they called the Three Degrees (named after the a female Philly vocal group); the late Laurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson. Two of the Three Degrees where Caribbean born, Regis from French Guiana and Baston from Grenada.
Although not by any means the first black footballers to play professionally in England, the Three Degrees challenged the established racism of English football and marked a watershed that allowed a generation of footballers to enter the game who would previously have been excluded by their ethnic background. A strong and fast traditional centre-forward, Regis was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1978 and earned the Goal of the Season award in 1981–82, for his powerful long-range shot against Norwich City in the FA Cup.
You may be wondering why the picture above has more than 3 black players in it. It’s a picture of Albion’s “Black” XI, essentially its all the black squad members of Albion’s 1st and reserve squad.
Check out this clip where the trio link up to mash up Man United 5-3, it’s an amazing performance. Notice how the crowd reacts to the players and the coaches commentary at the end, it’s just a testament to what these guys had to face.
Cyrille Regis’ goal of the year
Tags: Brendon Batson, Caribbean Footballers, Cyrille Regis, Football, French Guiana, Grenada, History, Laurie Cunningham, Manchester United, Soccer, Sports, The Three Degrees, Videos
November 27th, 2009 at 6:54 PM
The fantastic picture of the all black West Brom team was a special team for a charity or testimonial, the team was made up of black players from the leading teams at the time it featured Crooks from Stoke/Spurs, Berry from Wolves, Fashanu from Norwich etc. The only 4 black Albion players were Regis, Cunningham (GOD), Batson and Remi Moses.
I remember watching the 3 degrees playing from the terraces with my father and I though they were wonderful. Regis looked like he’d been carved out of marble and Cunningham was and still is the best player I ever had the pleasure to see play.
October 10th, 2010 at 8:03 AM
I’m from West Bromwich and it’s a privelege to see such a great team overcome the torrents of racist abuse these guys endured week after week. Also especially proud to know that my brothers were regarded as some of the best footballers of their time…..how things have changed over the years, Drogba, Henry, Malouda, Barnes, James, Lennon, Cole just to name a few of thebrothers doing something positive in our lives!!!
August 13th, 2012 at 4:43 AM
i have read cyrile regis,s book therefore i know all about rasism and the three degrees