It's 30 years today since Orient legend and footballing pioneer Laurie Cunningham tragically died in a car crash in Spain, aged 33.
Cunningham made 75 appearances for Orient in the Second Division, now the Championship, scoring 15 goals from the left-wing. He was known for being very quick, a good dribbler and an established crosser of the ball.
He was snapped up by First Division side West Bromwich Albion in 1977 where he featured alongside Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson in only the second English side to ever field three black players at a time.
Known by manager Ron Atkinson as the Three Degrees after the American soul singers, the trio were integral to the exciting, fast-paced attractive football West Brom played at the time.
Cunningham was also the first black English player to feature for the men’s national team. This was groundbreaking. These were the grim days of monkey chants from the terraces and bananas thrown on the pitch. His team mate, Cyrille Regis, was sent a bullet in the post when he was called up for England. Cunningham scored twice in six games, but saw his first-team chances limited due to injury.
He was also the first Englishman to play for Real Madrid, where he won the League and Cup double in his first season. In his later career, he was part of the Wimbledon ‘Crazy Gang’ who won the FA Cup against Liverpool in 1988.
Cunningham paved the way for black English footballers at a time when unabashed racism was rife in football and wider society. Football has come a long way since then, and in no small part that is down to Laurie Cunningham.
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