Laurie Cunningham (March 8, 1956 - July 15, 1989) was an England international association footballer, the first black player to represent England in a competitive football match. March 8 poster from Portugal March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... First International Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First... The striker (wearing red jersey) has run past the defender (in white jersey) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to stop the ball. ...

Born St. Mary's Archway, London, Cunningham joined Leyton Orient after a start in schoolboy football. He joined West Bromwich Albion in 1977, where, under maverick manager Ron Atkinson, he teamed up with fellow black players Brendon Batson and Cyrille Regis. Never before had an English team simultaneously fielded three black players. The Three Degrees, as they became known, 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. London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Leyton Orient F.C. are an English football team currently playing in League Two of the Football League. ... West Bromwich Albion Football Club is an English football club formed by workers from Salters Spring Works in West Bromwich, West Midlands in 1878. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Ronald Frederick Big Ron Atkinson, born 18 March 1939 in Liverpool, England is a British former football player and manager. ... Brendan M. Batson, MBE (born February 1, 1953) was an English association footballer. ... Cyrille Regis (born February 9, 1958) was an English association footballer. ... An African-American man drinks out of the colored only water fountain at a racially segregated streetcar terminal in the United States in 1939. ...

West Bromwich Albion became one of the most attractive and exciting English sides in the late 1970s and Cunningham soon attracted attention. He became the first black player to wear an England shirt in the under-21 friendly against Scotland at Bramall Lane on April 27, 1977, scoring on his debut. He subsequently earned six full England caps. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... First International Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) Worst defeat Uruguay 7 - 0 Scotland (Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954) World Cup Appearances 8 (First in 1954) Best result Round 1, all European Championship Appearances 2 (First... Bramall Lane is a football stadium in Sheffield, England that has successively been the home first of Sheffield F.C. and since 1889, of Sheffield United. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

In 1979, he moved to Real Madrid for GBP 995,000 though he never recaptured his early brilliance. His later career saw him increasingly distracted by off-field interests and, after leaving Real Madrid in 1983, he was loaned to Manchester United and Leicester City as well as having permanent spells with Sporting Gijon of Spain and Charleroi of Belgium. He finally returned to the English game on a permanent basis with Wimbledon at the start of the 1987-88 season. Although he had limited first team chances, he made a substitute appearance in the famous 1988 FA Cup final win over Liverpool. Soon after that he was transferred to Rayo Vallecano in Spain. This page refers to the year 1979. ... Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club ranked as The 20th Centurys Best Club by FIFA. The team plays in an all-white kit, which is the origin of their nickname Los merengues (the whites). ... The pound sterling is the official currency of the United Kingdom (UK). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On the morning of 15th July 1989, Laurie Cunningham was killed in a crash in Madrid at the age of 33.

Bibliography

• Bowler, D & Bains, J (2000) Samba in the Smethwick End: Regis, Cunningham, Batson and the Football Revolution ISBN 1840181885