Cyrille Regis
Encyclopedia
Cyrille Regis, MBE
(born 9 February 1958) is a French
-born English
former footballer
. His professional playing career spanned 19 years, where he made 610 league appearances and scored 159 league goals, most prolifically at West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City.
, French Guiana
, to Robert and Mathilde Regis. His father moved to England in 1962, with the rest of the family, including Cyrille, following a year later. The family lived initially in the Portobello Road
area of London
, later moving to Stonebridge
. Raised as a Roman Catholic, Regis attended Kensal Rise Primary School and later, Cardinal Hinsley RC Secondary School in Harlesden
. At Cardinal Hinsley he participated in athletics, cricket and football, and was called up to represent the Borough of Brent
boys football team. He was also offered a trial by Chelsea
, but was unable to take advantage due to a hamstring
injury. Regis progressed to playing Sunday league football
for Ryder Brent Valley. He then moved to Oxford & Kilburn Boys before re-joining Ryder Brent Valley. After leaving school, Regis trained as an electrician
, earning a City and Guilds
diploma; he continued to practice the trade until his move into professional football. Cyrille is the cousin of John Regis MBE
, the former English athlete, who still holds the UK record for the 200 metres.
club Molesey
, for whom he scored around 25 goals during his one campaign for the club. He was then approached by Boreham Wood
, but did not join them as he had been told by Molesey manager John Sullivan that he was under contract. Regis later discovered that he was too young to be under a professional contract and quit Molesey to join semi-professional Hayes
of the Isthmian League
, signing on 7 July 1976. He scored 24 goals for Hayes in 1976–77 and was then spotted by West Bromwich Albion
's chief scout Ronnie Allen
, who recommended that the First Division
club should sign him. With the Albion directors unsure of paying a four-figure fee for such a young, unproven player, Allen offered to fund any initial payment from his own pocket, so sure was he that Regis would make it in the top tier of English football. The transfer
took place in May 1977, for an up-front fee of £5,000, plus another £5,000 after 20 appearances.
. Regis scored on his debut for West Bromwich Albion's reserve team in a Central League match against Sheffield Wednesday
reserves. He made his first team debut in a League Cup
match against Rotherham United
on 31 August 1977, scoring twice in a 4–0 win. Three days later Regis made his league debut in a 2–1 victory over Middlesbrough
. Again he found the net, taking the ball from the halfway line to the penalty area before scoring with a right-foot drive. Middlesbrough's David Mills
, who later became a team-mate of Regis at Albion, described it as "a goal of sheer brilliance".
Regis also scored in his first FA Cup
match in January 1978, helping Albion to beat Blackpool
4–1. A few days later, Albion appointed a new manager, Ron Atkinson
. Ronnie Allen had departed in late-December to manage the Saudi Arabia national team
and John Wile
, the club's captain, had acted as caretaker manager
in the interim.
Regis teamed up with two other black players, Laurie Cunningham
and Brendon Batson
. It was very unusual for an English club to simultaneously field three black players. Although not by any means the first black footballers to play professionally in England, the Three Degrees (a reference to The Three Degrees
contemporary vocal trio of the same name) were an integral part of their acceptance in the English leagues. 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. He finished his stint at West Brom with 112 goals (League & Cup) in 301 total appearances, though never secured a major honour at the Hawthorns. The team did come close:-FA Cup semi finalists 1978 (Ipswich) & 1982 (QPR) and League Cup Semi Finalists (1982). They finished third in the First Division in 1979 and fourth in 1981. Many people (including then manager Ron Atkinson
) regard the 5-3 away win at Old Trafford on 30 December 1978 as the quintessential W.B.A game from the period, with Regis hitting the final goal with typical gusto in the second half.
, Terry Gibson
, Keith Houchen
, David Speedie
and briefly Steve Livingstone
, spanning seven seasons at the club. Purchased by Bobby Gould
as a 26 year old in 1984, he endured a couple of relegation battles in the mid 80s, where his strike partner was Terry Gibson
, playing a large part in a memorable 4-1 survival clincher against Everton
in 1985. In 1986/87 the club emerged as top ten regulars under John Sillett
and George Curtis
. Regis enjoyed his best season since his West Brom heyday and the team tactically began to play to his strengths, often through Bennett, instead of the long ball game favoured by previous managers. Regis was a key part of the FA Cup
winning team in 1987
, where he was partnered by Keith Houchen
. He scored arguably one of his finest goals for the Sky Blues in the quarter final against Sheffield Wednesday; splitting the defence on the break with David Bennett before a rasping shot past keeper Martin Hodge
. Coventry went on to win the game 3-1. Regis also scored in the third round tie at home to Bolton Wanderers and had a headed goal disallowed in the Wembley final. He was never a prolific striker as at W.B.A, but he remained a very popular figure with the Sky Blues faithful, still ranking highly in supporter popularity polls. His Coventry City career comprised 274 total appearances, producing 62 goals (league & cup) and earned him an FA Cup winners medal, three top ten finishes, and a 1990 League Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. He earned a recall to the England team in October 1987, coming on as a sub against Turkey. Cyrille Regis was also the first Coventry City player to score a winning goal at Anfield, in their first ever league win there (1-0) in November 1989. This came a season after he had also scored in City's first ever win over Aston Villa at Highfield Road (2-1). Whilst his infrequent strike rate provoked criticism after 86/87, goalscoring at City remained a collaborative effort between Regis and the other City strikers of the time (Speedie, Gynn, Gallacher, Bannister). Yet none of the others emerged to truly stamp their authority on the team, the only exception being David Speedie
in 88/89. Perhaps the most fitting summary of his time at Highfield Road should be a statistical one, in that only Dion Dublin
has surpassed Regis's goalscoring record for the Sky Blues in the modern game. Following John Sillett's departure in November 1990, and the raft of changes made under new manager Terry Butcher
in 1990-91, Regis was surprisingly sold to Aston Villa at the age of 33.
at the Sky Blues nearest rivals Aston Villa
and partnered Dalian Atkinson
in the 1991–92 season
. It appeared he'd refound his goalscoring touch, finishing the season on 11 goals (during only one season at Highfield Road
did he better this), but in 1992-93
season, his first team chances were limited following the arrival of Dean Saunders
. Villa finished the first Premier League season in second place, beaten to the title by Ron Atkinson
's former club Manchester United. Regis was transferred to another West Midlands club, this time Wolverhampton Wanderers
. Brought in by Graham Turner
, Regis was added to a squad that desperately wanted promotion to go along with the new and improved Molineux
stadium. His spell at Wolves brought little success, as his first-team opportunities restricted by the excellent form of strikers Steve Bull
and David Kelly
. Wolves missed out on even making the play-offs, and Turner was relieved of his duties after the Molineux
board had ran out of patience. Former England manager, Graham Taylor
was installed as replacement, and he set about a clear out of players, one of which was Regis - and very nearly the legendary Steve Bull
to Coventry City.
in Division Two. After one season with The Chairboys, he was on the move again, this time to Chester City
. After again striking up an excellent rapport with the fans of his latest club, Regis played his last game in February 1996 in a 2–1 win at Doncaster Rovers, aged 38. He announced his retirement from playing in October 1996, after failing to recover fully from an injury sustained in his final senior game for Chester.
|1977-78
||rowspan="8"|West Bromwich Albion
||rowspan="8"|First Division
||34||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978-79
||39||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979-80
||26||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980-81
||38||14||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981-82
||37||17||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982-83
||26||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983-84
||34||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984-85
||7||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984-85
||rowspan="7"|Coventry City
||rowspan="7"|First Division
||31||5||1||0||0||0||0||0||32||5
|-
|1985-86
||34||5||1||0||2||5||0||0||37||10
|-
|1986-87
||40||12||6||2||5||2||0||0||51||16
|-
|1987-88
||31||10||2||1||2||1||0||0||35||12
|-
|1988-89
||34||7||1||0||3||0||0||0||38||7
|-
|1989-90
||34||4||1||0||7||1||0||0||42||5
|-
|1990-91
||34||4||4||0||5||3||0||0||43||7
|-
|1991-92
||rowspan="2"|Aston Villa
||First Division
||39||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992-93
||Premier League||13||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993-94
||Wolverhampton Wanderers
||First Division
||19||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994-95
||Wycombe Wanderers
||Second Division
||35||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995-96
||Chester City
||Third Division
||29||7||||||||||||||||
614||158||||||||||||||||
614||158||||||||||||||||
made him eligible to play for either the English
or French
national sides, but it was England that he chose to represent. He made his England under-21
debut on 19 September 1978, in a 2–1 victory over the Denmark under-21s
in Hvidovre
. His first England B
game was a 1–0 win against Czechoslovakia B in Prague
on 28 November 1978. He played in two further matches for the B team in 1980. He scored his first goal for the England under-21s on 5 June 1979, in a 3–1 away win against Bulgaria
. The result helped England reach the latter stages of the 1980 European Championship
, although it was the only one out of six qualifying matches in which Regis participated. He played in the away legs
of both the quarter-final and semi-final, where England lost to East Germany
. In all he played six times for the under-21s, scoring three goals.
Despite winning five caps
for the full England side, Regis never played the full 90 minutes for his country at senior level; he played as a substitute three times and was himself substituted twice. He made his international debut on 23 February 1982 in a 4–0 win over Northern Ireland
in the Home International Championship at Wembley. Regis came on as a substitute for Trevor Francis
in the 65th minute. His final international appearance for England was in 1987 against Turkey at Wembley, which ended in an 8–0 win for the home side, where he came on for the last 20 minutes.
He was the third black player to be capped by England at the highest level after Viv Anderson
and Laurie Cunningham
.http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamBlack/PlyrsBlackMtch1980-82.html
.
Regis became a Christian
after a car crash claimed the life of his friend and former team mate Laurie Cunningham
in 1989.
He and Cunningham had been involved in a similar crash two years earlier. Since retiring from playing, Regis has worked in a variety of coaching roles before becoming an accredited football agent with The Stellar Group Ltd. Cyrille is uncle of footballer Jason Roberts
, for whom he has acted as an agent, and cousin of sprinter
John Regis
.
He was awarded an honorary fellow
ship by the University of Wolverhampton
in 2001. In 2004 Regis was voted as West Bromwich Albion's all time Cult Hero in a BBC Sport
poll, gaining 65% of the vote. In the same year he was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations. Regis and his wife Julia visited water-related projects in Ethiopia
in 2007, as part of their continued support for WaterAid
.
Cyrille Regis won the Coventry City London Supporter's Club Player of the Year in 1986/87 and regularly comes in high in any Sky Blue legend polls. In 2007/8 a Coventry City Hall of Fame picture gallery was erected at The Ricoh Arena, containing 30 all time Coventry greats since the war, among whom was Cyrille Regis.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 9 February 1958) is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-born English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. His professional playing career spanned 19 years, where he made 610 league appearances and scored 159 league goals, most prolifically at West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City.
Early life
Regis was born in MaripasoulaMaripasoula
Maripasoula is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. With a land area of , Maripasoula is the largest commune of France, and is recognized as the fourteenth largest city in the world by surface area....
, French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, to Robert and Mathilde Regis. His father moved to England in 1962, with the rest of the family, including Cyrille, following a year later. The family lived initially in the Portobello Road
Portobello Road
Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello Road Market, one of London's...
area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, later moving to Stonebridge
Stonebridge Park
Stonebridge Park could refer to:*Stonebridge Park, Liverpool, a new business centre in Liverpool*Stonebidge Park junction, a major junction in North-West London*Stonebridge Park station, a tube station in Tokyngton, London...
. Raised as a Roman Catholic, Regis attended Kensal Rise Primary School and later, Cardinal Hinsley RC Secondary School in Harlesden
Harlesden
Harlesden is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, UK. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee....
. At Cardinal Hinsley he participated in athletics, cricket and football, and was called up to represent the Borough of Brent
London Borough of Brent
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased...
boys football team. He was also offered a trial by Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, but was unable to take advantage due to a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury. Regis progressed to playing Sunday league football
Sunday league football
Sunday league football is a term used in the United Kingdom to describe those association football leagues which play on Sunday, as opposed to the more usual Saturday. These leagues tend to be lower standard amateur competitions, whose players may have less ability, or less time to devote to...
for Ryder Brent Valley. He then moved to Oxford & Kilburn Boys before re-joining Ryder Brent Valley. After leaving school, Regis trained as an electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
, earning a City and Guilds
City and Guilds of London Institute
The City and Guilds of London Institute is a leading United Kingdom vocational education organisation. City & Guilds offers more than 500 qualifications over the whole range of industry sectors through 8500 colleges and training providers in 81 countries worldwide...
diploma; he continued to practice the trade until his move into professional football. Cyrille is the cousin of John Regis MBE
John Regis (athlete)
John Paul Lyndon Regis, MBE is a retired English sprinter. During his career, he won gold medals in the 200 metres at the 1989 World Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Championships, and a silver medal in the distance at the 1993 World Championships.He was a member of the British teams...
, the former English athlete, who still holds the UK record for the 200 metres.
Non-league
The 1975–76 season saw Regis move to Athenian LeagueAthenian League
The Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was formed in 1912 with ten clubs, but had to close down in 1914 due to the onset of World War I. When it reformed in 1920, only three of the previous teams rejoined...
club Molesey
Molesey F.C.
Molesey F.C. is an English football club based in West Molesey, Surrey. The club are currently members of the Combined Counties League Premier Division and play at the Walton Road Stadium.-History:...
, for whom he scored around 25 goals during his one campaign for the club. He was then approached by Boreham Wood
Boreham Wood F.C.
Boreham Wood F.C. are a football club based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, at Meadow Park football ground. They were established in 1948, and have reached the FA Cup 2nd Round proper twice in their history. For 2011-12 they will play in Conference South...
, but did not join them as he had been told by Molesey manager John Sullivan that he was under contract. Regis later discovered that he was too young to be under a professional contract and quit Molesey to join semi-professional Hayes
Hayes F.C.
Hayes F.C. was an English football club based in Hayes, in Greater London. The club started out as Botwell Mission in 1909 taking its present name in 1929. The team nickname, The Missioners was a salute to the history of the team. The club played in the Conference South for their last few seasons...
of the Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
, signing on 7 July 1976. He scored 24 goals for Hayes in 1976–77 and was then spotted by West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
's chief scout Ronnie Allen
Ronnie Allen
Ronald "Ronnie" Allen was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 276 goals. He also won five caps for England national team...
, who recommended that the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
club should sign him. With the Albion directors unsure of paying a four-figure fee for such a young, unproven player, Allen offered to fund any initial payment from his own pocket, so sure was he that Regis would make it in the top tier of English football. The transfer
Transfer (football)
In professional association football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between professional clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one professional association football club to another. In general, the players can only be...
took place in May 1977, for an up-front fee of £5,000, plus another £5,000 after 20 appearances.
West Bromwich Albion
Shortly after bringing Regis to Albion, Allen took over as team manager, following the resignation of his predecessor Johnny GilesJohnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
. Regis scored on his debut for West Bromwich Albion's reserve team in a Central League match against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
reserves. He made his first team debut in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
match against Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
on 31 August 1977, scoring twice in a 4–0 win. Three days later Regis made his league debut in a 2–1 victory over Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. Again he found the net, taking the ball from the halfway line to the penalty area before scoring with a right-foot drive. Middlesbrough's David Mills
David Mills (footballer)
David Mills is an English former footballer most notable for his career with Middlesbrough and becoming Britain's first half-million pound footballer.-Middlesbrough:...
, who later became a team-mate of Regis at Albion, described it as "a goal of sheer brilliance".
Regis also scored in his first FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match in January 1978, helping Albion to beat Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
4–1. A few days later, Albion appointed a new manager, Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
. Ronnie Allen had departed in late-December to manage the Saudi Arabia national team
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
and John Wile
John Wile
John David Wile is an English former footballer and manager.Wile played as a central defender for Sunderland, although he did not play a Football League match for them. In 1967–68 he signed for Peterborough United, having had a trial there first...
, the club's captain, had acted as caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
in the interim.
Regis teamed up with two other black players, Laurie Cunningham
Laurie Cunningham
Laurence Paul "Laurie" Cunningham was an England international footballer. When he joined Real Madrid, he became the first English player in the club's history....
and Brendon Batson
Brendon Batson
Brendon Martin Batson, MBE is an English former association footballer.Born in St. George's, Grenada, Batson's family moved to England when he was nine. Until then he had never even seen a game of football and a teacher at this school, on watching his early efforts and reflecting on his birthplace...
. It was very unusual for an English club to simultaneously field three black players. Although not by any means the first black footballers to play professionally in England, the Three Degrees (a reference to The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
contemporary vocal trio of the same name) were an integral part of their acceptance in the English leagues. A strong and fast traditional centre-forward, Regis was voted PFA Young Player of the Year
PFA Young Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
in 1978 and earned the Goal of the Season
Goal of the Season
In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season...
award in 1981–82, for his powerful long-range shot against Norwich City in the FA Cup. He finished his stint at West Brom with 112 goals (League & Cup) in 301 total appearances, though never secured a major honour at the Hawthorns. The team did come close:-FA Cup semi finalists 1978 (Ipswich) & 1982 (QPR) and League Cup Semi Finalists (1982). They finished third in the First Division in 1979 and fourth in 1981. Many people (including then manager Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
) regard the 5-3 away win at Old Trafford on 30 December 1978 as the quintessential W.B.A game from the period, with Regis hitting the final goal with typical gusto in the second half.
Coventry City
Regis enjoyed a lengthy spell at Highfield Road, which tends to be overlooked by football journalists. Although his best years as a goalscorer were undoubtedly at the Hawthorns, if ever a striker epitomised the art of leading the line with great aerial strength, as well as providing a buttress upon which to build the attacking spearhead of the team, Regis did at Coventry. Any close inspection of the goals scored by the Sky Blues in the 1987 FA Cup Final provide ample illustration of this. He enjoyed popular partnerships with David BennettDave Bennett
David Anthony Bennett is an English former Association football player. He is most famous for playing in two FA Cup Finals; 1981 for Manchester City, when he finished on the losing side, and 1987, when he produced a Man of the Match performance as Coventry City beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2.-Playing...
, Terry Gibson
Terry Gibson
Terence Bradley "Terry" Gibson is an English former footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City, Manchester United and Wimbledon.-Playing career:...
, Keith Houchen
Keith Houchen
Keith Morton Houchen is an English former footballer and football manager. A forward, he score 162 goals in 509 league games....
, David Speedie
David Speedie
David Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
and briefly Steve Livingstone
Steve Livingstone
Stephen "Steve" Livingstone is an English former footballer who played between 1986 and 2004 notably for Grimsby Town...
, spanning seven seasons at the club. Purchased by Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
as a 26 year old in 1984, he endured a couple of relegation battles in the mid 80s, where his strike partner was Terry Gibson
Terry Gibson
Terence Bradley "Terry" Gibson is an English former footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City, Manchester United and Wimbledon.-Playing career:...
, playing a large part in a memorable 4-1 survival clincher against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in 1985. In 1986/87 the club emerged as top ten regulars under John Sillett
John Sillett
John Charles Sillett is a former football player and manager.His father Charlie Sillett was a footballer with Southampton between 1931 and 1938. He is the younger brother of Peter Sillett, also a footballer.Sillett played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle...
and George Curtis
George Curtis (footballer born 1939)
George Curtis is an English former footballer who played in the Football League as a defender for Coventry City and Aston Villa.-Playing career:...
. Regis enjoyed his best season since his West Brom heyday and the team tactically began to play to his strengths, often through Bennett, instead of the long ball game favoured by previous managers. Regis was a key part of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winning team in 1987
1987 FA Cup Final
The 1987 FA Cup Final took place on 16 May 1987 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were appearing in their third final in seven seasons, having won the trophy in 1981 and 1982 and were strong favourites, while unfancied Coventry were appearing...
, where he was partnered by Keith Houchen
Keith Houchen
Keith Morton Houchen is an English former footballer and football manager. A forward, he score 162 goals in 509 league games....
. He scored arguably one of his finest goals for the Sky Blues in the quarter final against Sheffield Wednesday; splitting the defence on the break with David Bennett before a rasping shot past keeper Martin Hodge
Martin Hodge
Martin Hodge is an English former professional football player. He played as a goalkeeper for Plymouth Argyle, Everton, Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City, Hartlepool United and Rochdale. His career lasted from 1977 to 1996 during which time he played 602 league and cup matches.-Football...
. Coventry went on to win the game 3-1. Regis also scored in the third round tie at home to Bolton Wanderers and had a headed goal disallowed in the Wembley final. He was never a prolific striker as at W.B.A, but he remained a very popular figure with the Sky Blues faithful, still ranking highly in supporter popularity polls. His Coventry City career comprised 274 total appearances, producing 62 goals (league & cup) and earned him an FA Cup winners medal, three top ten finishes, and a 1990 League Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. He earned a recall to the England team in October 1987, coming on as a sub against Turkey. Cyrille Regis was also the first Coventry City player to score a winning goal at Anfield, in their first ever league win there (1-0) in November 1989. This came a season after he had also scored in City's first ever win over Aston Villa at Highfield Road (2-1). Whilst his infrequent strike rate provoked criticism after 86/87, goalscoring at City remained a collaborative effort between Regis and the other City strikers of the time (Speedie, Gynn, Gallacher, Bannister). Yet none of the others emerged to truly stamp their authority on the team, the only exception being David Speedie
David Speedie
David Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
in 88/89. Perhaps the most fitting summary of his time at Highfield Road should be a statistical one, in that only Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an...
has surpassed Regis's goalscoring record for the Sky Blues in the modern game. Following John Sillett's departure in November 1990, and the raft of changes made under new manager Terry Butcher
Terry Butcher
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...
in 1990-91, Regis was surprisingly sold to Aston Villa at the age of 33.
Villa and Wolves
After leaving Coventry in 1991, he was reunited with his former West Bromwich Albion manager, Ron AtkinsonRon Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
at the Sky Blues nearest rivals Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and partnered Dalian Atkinson
Dalian Atkinson
Dalian Robert Atkinson is an English former footballer who played as a striker in the Football League and Premier League for Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Manchester City, in La Liga for Real Sociedad, in Ligue 1 for Metz, in the Turkish Super League for Fenerbahçe, in Saudi...
in the 1991–92 season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
. It appeared he'd refound his goalscoring touch, finishing the season on 11 goals (during only one season at Highfield Road
Highfield Road
The Highfield Road Stadium was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City F.C. until the club moved to the new Ricoh Arena after the 2005-06 season...
did he better this), but in 1992-93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
season, his first team chances were limited following the arrival of Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
. Villa finished the first Premier League season in second place, beaten to the title by Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
's former club Manchester United. Regis was transferred to another West Midlands club, this time Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. Brought in by Graham Turner
Graham Turner
Graham John Turner is an English former footballer who became a manager. He is currently manager of League Two club Shrewsbury Town. His son Mark was also a professional footballer....
, Regis was added to a squad that desperately wanted promotion to go along with the new and improved Molineux
Molineux
Molineux may refer to:*William Molineux, American, participant in the Boston Tea Party*Molineux Stadium, in Wolverhampton, England**by metonymy, Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., the team that plays there...
stadium. His spell at Wolves brought little success, as his first-team opportunities restricted by the excellent form of strikers Steve Bull
Steve Bull
Stephen George "Steve" Bull, MBE, is an English former footballer who is best remembered for his 13-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers...
and David Kelly
David Kelly
David Christopher Kelly, CMG was a British scientist and expert on biological warfare, employed by the British Ministry of Defence, and formerly a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq...
. Wolves missed out on even making the play-offs, and Turner was relieved of his duties after the Molineux
Molineux
Molineux may refer to:*William Molineux, American, participant in the Boston Tea Party*Molineux Stadium, in Wolverhampton, England**by metonymy, Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., the team that plays there...
board had ran out of patience. Former England manager, Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor may refer to:* Graham Taylor , footballer and manager* Graham Taylor , British novelist and part-time priest* Graham Taylor , Major League Baseball player...
was installed as replacement, and he set about a clear out of players, one of which was Regis - and very nearly the legendary Steve Bull
Steve Bull
Stephen George "Steve" Bull, MBE, is an English former footballer who is best remembered for his 13-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers...
to Coventry City.
Later career
After just one season at Wolves, he signed for Wycombe WanderersWycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
in Division Two. After one season with The Chairboys, he was on the move again, this time to Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
. After again striking up an excellent rapport with the fans of his latest club, Regis played his last game in February 1996 in a 2–1 win at Doncaster Rovers, aged 38. He announced his retirement from playing in October 1996, after failing to recover fully from an injury sustained in his final senior game for Chester.
Career statistics
|-|1977-78
The Football League 1977-78
-Overview:The 1977–1978 season was the 78th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month...
||rowspan="8"|West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
||rowspan="8"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||34||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978-79
The Football League 1978-79
-Overview:The 1978–1979 season was the 79th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Bob Paisley won his third league title at Liverpool as his conquering side fought off competition from the likes of Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion to achieve their triumph...
||39||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979-80
The Football League 1979-80
-Overview:The 1979–1980 season was the 80th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Bob Paisley's Liverpool retained their league championship trophy after fighting off a determined challenge by Dave Sexton's Manchester United...
||26||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980-81
The Football League 1980-81
The 1980–1981 season was the 81st completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Ron Saunders completed Aston Villa's revival, as they ended their 71-year wait for the league championship trophy. They competed in a two-horse race with Ipswich Town during the final stages of the season...
||38||14||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981-82
The Football League 1981-82
The 1981–1982 season was the 82nd completed season of The Football League.- First Division:3 points for a win was introduced for the first time in England...
||37||17||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982-83
The Football League 1982-83
-Overview:The 1982–1983 season was the 83rd completed season of The Football League.- First Division:Bob Paisley’s last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine...
||26||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983-84
The Football League 1983-84
-Overview:The 1983–1984 season was the 84th completed season of The Football League.- First Division:Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history. They overcame strong competition from...
||34||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984-85
The Football League 1984-85
-Overview:The 1984–1985 season was the 85th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Howard Kendall’s Everton side beat neighbours Liverpool to the league championship, while Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United followed closely behind...
||7||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984-85
The Football League 1984-85
-Overview:The 1984–1985 season was the 85th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Howard Kendall’s Everton side beat neighbours Liverpool to the league championship, while Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United followed closely behind...
||rowspan="7"|Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
||rowspan="7"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||31||5||1||0||0||0||0||0||32||5
|-
|1985-86
The Football League 1985-86
-Overview:The 1985–1986 season was the 86th completed season of the The Football League.-Final league tables and results :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at the website, with home and away statistics separated.Re-election: During the first five seasons...
||34||5||1||0||2||5||0||0||37||10
|-
|1986-87
The Football League 1986-87
-Overview:The 1986–1987 season was the 87th completed season of the The Football League.-Innovations for this season:Playoffs to determine promotion places were introduced in 1987 so that more clubs remained eligible for promotion closer to the end of the season, and at the same time to aid in the...
||40||12||6||2||5||2||0||0||51||16
|-
|1987-88
The Football League 1987-88
The 1987–1988 season was the 88th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season...
||31||10||2||1||2||1||0||0||35||12
|-
|1988-89
The Football League 1988-89
The 1988–1989 season was the 89th completed season of the Football League.No European qualification took place due to the Heysel Stadium disaster suspension in place....
||34||7||1||0||3||0||0||0||38||7
|-
|1989-90
The Football League 1989-90
The 1989–1990 season was the 90th completed season of The Football League.- First Division :Liverpool overhauled a greatly improved Aston Villa side to win their 18th league championship trophy and their fifth major trophy in as many seasons under Kenny Dalglish’s management. To date, this remains...
||34||4||1||0||7||1||0||0||42||5
|-
|1990-91
The Football League 1990-91
The 1990–1991 season was the 91st completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Arsenal took their second league title in three seasons despite a season during which it often looked as though the good points would be outnumbered by the bad points...
||34||4||4||0||5||3||0||0||43||7
|-
|1991-92
The Football League 1991-92
The 1991–1992 season was the 92nd completed season of The Football League.- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of players like Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David...
||rowspan="2"|Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||39||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992-93
FA Premier League 1992-93
The 1992–93 FA Premier League was the first season of the Premier League, the top division of English football. The league was made up of the 22 clubs that broke away from The Football League at the end of the 1991–92 season. The new league was backed up by a five-year, £305 million deal with...
||Premier League||13||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993-94
The Football League 1993-94
The 1993–1994 season was the 94th completed season of the The Football League. From 1993 to 1996 the league was sponsores by Endsleigh.-Football League Division One:...
||Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||19||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994-95
The Football League 1994-95
The 1994–1995 season was the 95th completed season of the The Football League. It was the third season of The Football League since the formation of the Premier League...
||Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||35||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995-96
The Football League 1995-96
The 1995–1996 season was the 96th completed season of the The Football League. It was contested through three divisions, the First Division, Second Division and Third Division.- First Division playoffs :- First Division Table:...
||Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||29||7||||||||||||||||
614||158||||||||||||||||
614||158||||||||||||||||
International career
Regis' dual French and British nationalityMultiple citizenship
Multiple citizenship is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen under the laws of more than one state. Multiple citizenships exist because different countries use different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, citizenship requirements...
made him eligible to play for either the English
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
or French
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
national sides, but it was England that he chose to represent. He made his England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
debut on 19 September 1978, in a 2–1 victory over the Denmark under-21s
Denmark national under-21 football team
The Denmark national under-21 football team has played since 1976 and is controlled by the Danish Football Association. Before 1976, the age limit was 23 years.-U-21 European Championship:*1978 – Quarterfinals*1980 to 1984 – Did not qualify...
in Hvidovre
Hvidovre
Hvidovre Kommune is a municipality in Region Hovedstaden near Copenhagen on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 22 km², and has a total population of 49,380...
. His first England B
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
game was a 1–0 win against Czechoslovakia B in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on 28 November 1978. He played in two further matches for the B team in 1980. He scored his first goal for the England under-21s on 5 June 1979, in a 3–1 away win against Bulgaria
Bulgaria national under-21 football team
The Bulgaria national under-21 football team represents the under-21 football team of Bulgaria and is controlled by the Bulgarian Football Union. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years....
. The result helped England reach the latter stages of the 1980 European Championship
1980 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 1980, which spanned two years had 25 entrants. Cyprus and the Netherlands competed in the competition for the first time. 1978 entrants Austria did not enter. Due to 'irregularities', Turkey's first two matches were awarded to their opponents...
, although it was the only one out of six qualifying matches in which Regis participated. He played in the away legs
Two-legged match
In sport , a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or legs, with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of the scores of the two legs...
of both the quarter-final and semi-final, where England lost to East Germany
East Germany national under-21 football team
The East Germany national football team was the national football team of the German Democratic Republic. Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, East Germany's Under-21 team was formed. The team played until 1990, until East Germany ceased to be a separate country after...
. In all he played six times for the under-21s, scoring three goals.
Despite winning five caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the full England side, Regis never played the full 90 minutes for his country at senior level; he played as a substitute three times and was himself substituted twice. He made his international debut on 23 February 1982 in a 4–0 win over Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
in the Home International Championship at Wembley. Regis came on as a substitute for Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...
in the 65th minute. His final international appearance for England was in 1987 against Turkey at Wembley, which ended in an 8–0 win for the home side, where he came on for the last 20 minutes.
He was the third black player to be capped by England at the highest level after Viv Anderson
Viv Anderson
Vivian Alexander "Viv" Anderson MBE is an English football player and coach, who played for clubs including Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday in the 1970s and 1980s...
and Laurie Cunningham
Laurie Cunningham
Laurence Paul "Laurie" Cunningham was an England international footballer. When he joined Real Madrid, he became the first English player in the club's history....
.http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamBlack/PlyrsBlackMtch1980-82.html
Life off the pitch
His younger brother is former player Dave RegisDave Regis
David R. "Dave" Regis is a retired English professional footballer. He is now the Education & Welfare Officer at Charlton Athletic's Academy.-Playing career:...
.
Regis became a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
after a car crash claimed the life of his friend and former team mate Laurie Cunningham
Laurie Cunningham
Laurence Paul "Laurie" Cunningham was an England international footballer. When he joined Real Madrid, he became the first English player in the club's history....
in 1989.
He and Cunningham had been involved in a similar crash two years earlier. Since retiring from playing, Regis has worked in a variety of coaching roles before becoming an accredited football agent with The Stellar Group Ltd. Cyrille is uncle of footballer Jason Roberts
Jason Roberts (footballer)
Jason Andre Davis Roberts MBE is an English-born Grenadian footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Blackburn Rovers. Born in Park Royal, London, Roberts began playing football from an early age, and spent time in the youth academies at several professional clubs, but was not...
, for whom he has acted as an agent, and cousin of sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
John Regis
John Regis (athlete)
John Paul Lyndon Regis, MBE is a retired English sprinter. During his career, he won gold medals in the 200 metres at the 1989 World Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Championships, and a silver medal in the distance at the 1993 World Championships.He was a member of the British teams...
.
He was awarded an honorary fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship by the University of Wolverhampton
University of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton is a British university located on four campuses across the West Midlands and Shropshire. The city campus is located in Wolverhampton city centre with a second campus at Compton Park, Wolverhampton; a third in Walsall and a fourth in Telford...
in 2001. In 2004 Regis was voted as West Bromwich Albion's all time Cult Hero in a BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
poll, gaining 65% of the vote. In the same year he was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations. Regis and his wife Julia visited water-related projects in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in 2007, as part of their continued support for WaterAid
WaterAid
WaterAid is an international non-profit organisation set up as a response to the UN International Drinking Water & Sanitation decade . WaterAid is dedicated to helping people escape the poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation. It is based in London, England and was...
.
Cyrille Regis won the Coventry City London Supporter's Club Player of the Year in 1986/87 and regularly comes in high in any Sky Blue legend polls. In 2007/8 a Coventry City Hall of Fame picture gallery was erected at The Ricoh Arena, containing 30 all time Coventry greats since the war, among whom was Cyrille Regis.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.