Steve Stacey: A Black Football Pioneer’s Hollywood-Worthy Story

Steve Stacey, who revisited Wrexham in 2019, was instrumental in shaping the history of black players in British football. Please note: This article includes mentions of racist incidents. “They should get Denzel to play you, Pops.” Steve Stacey responded with a contented laugh, approving his grandson’s remark. Wrexham currently possesses significant connections within the entertainment industry. Since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney acquired the Racecourse club, it appears that a considerable portion of Hollywood has become captivated by its narrative. However, long before celebrity arrivals graced Mold Road, Stacey forged his own path. This journey connected North America and north Wales well before the era of A-list stars, originating amidst the racial segregation of the Deep South and leading him to Wrexham through the gas-lit thoroughfares of post-World War II Bristol. Consequently, Stacey, the son of a black American GI, achieved the distinction of being the first footballer of African-American heritage to compete professionally in the English football leagues, making his initial appearance out of 119 for Wrexham in February 1966. His career also led him to Ipswich Town, where he became the club’s inaugural black player, a distinction he also held at Charlton Athletic and Exeter City. Ultimately, this journey culminated in an emotional reunion with his father, whom he had presumed deceased, and with a family largely unaware of the significant achievements of their distant relative, far from their Mississippi residence. Stacey joined Wrexham in 1966, depicted here two years later next to Eddie May, who would later manage Cardiff City. In different circumstances, that location would have also been Stacey’s home. His mother, Evelyn, was 19 years old when she encountered Clarence Lee Sims from Kemper County. Sims was among the 240,000 African-Americans serving within the three million US military personnel deployed in the UK throughout World War II. They met in a nearby pub, close to the Muller Orphanage, which had functioned as US barracks, and developed a romantic relationship. Steve became one of approximately 2,000 children, born to white British women and black American GIs, whom the media referred to as the war’s ‘brown babies’. At that time, marriage between individuals of white and black racial backgrounds remained unlawful in numerous American states, and Clarence’s white unit leader refused permission for such a union. The possibility of relocating to the US after the war, when Clarence returned home, was discussed, but Stacey’s mother never considered it a viable choice. “She knew what it would have been like,” Stacey, currently 80 years old, informed BBC Sport Wales, his Bristolian accent retaining its distinct strength even as he spoke from Australia, where he has resided for the last forty years. He also characterizes his mother as strong. She, supported by his grandmother, raised him despite the unavoidable scrutiny, or worse, from those who disapproved. A significant number of ‘brown babies’ were placed elsewhere with limited prospects for adoption and encountered lifelong challenges. Steve Stacey, born in 1944, expressed enduring gratitude for his mother Evelyn’s strength and courage. Stacey acknowledges his good fortune and states that he encountered minimal overt racism, though one might speculate if his talent served as a protective barrier, perhaps even saving him. “You have to remember, this was just after the war,” Stacey remarked. “I wasn’t the only one growing up without a father. Everyone had suffered loss one way or the other. “Everybody just enjoyed being with themselves. I felt completely at home. No-one cared what colour you were when you were playing 20-a-side on the streets.” In fact, in his poignant and descriptive autobiography, ‘The Colour of Football’, Stacey contemplates whether his selection as team captain during those street games constituted one of the most significant junctures of his life. The most skilled player is simply the most skilled player, and race held no relevance. This was also true when he was signed by Bristol City at 16 years old, having advanced from playing in the streets and parks, and similarly when Wrexham signed him five years subsequent, providing him with his first-team chances. “When you were in the dressing room, the bunch of lads together, the only thing that mattered was if you could play,” he stated. “I never had anyone from my teams say any of those words.” Occasional opponents did utter derogatory remarks – “one had me round the neck and called me a whatever so and so, but I just gave him an elbow” – and Stacey maintains he seldom heeded what spectators might have been shouting, choosing instead to concentrate on the match and his assigned opponent. Nevertheless, certain things proved difficult to disregard. “I can remember we had a large bay window and our daughter Michele playing with her toys,” recounted Dot, Stacey’s wife of over six decades. “She came from behind her toys and she had covered herself in talcum powder, saying maybe a couple of her friends would play with her now she was white. I went straight to their mothers. That doesn’t come out of a child’s mouth.” This inherited prejudice, however, did not diminish the happiness Stacey stated his family experienced while residing in Wrexham, where he would playfully tease his eldest daughter Michele about acquiring a Welsh accent. “We loved living there,” he affirmed. “You really felt part of the club and the community.” Although Stacey documented instances of loneliness—having shared a dressing room with another black player only twice in his career—and a feeling of being unable to communicate certain experiences of being “different,” his appreciation for the opportunity to play his beloved sport and support his family held greater significance. Yet, the persistent question about his father remained with him. Shown here in August 1968, Stacey competed alongside players such as 100-goal striker Albert Kinsey (to his right) during his tenure at the Racecourse. Stacey spent nearly three years at Wrexham; however, promotion eluded the then-fourth-tier squad as they continuously sold players. A swift right-footed left-back—initially dubbed ‘Flash’ by the groundstaff in Bristol—his versatility was arguably best demonstrated by his wearing almost every shirt number for Wrexham, performing in every position, and even serving as an emergency goalkeeper, a skill honed during his street-game youth. Ipswich acquired him to play centre-half in the First Division, paying £25,000 in September 1968, and he debuted against Liverpool. His appearance lasted 30 minutes before an injury concluded his match, garnering sympathy from Bill Shankly during a conversation on the return train to London. A persistent hamstring issue would hinder the rest of his career, leading him to depart Portman Road early in Sir Bobby Robson’s management. He was loaned to Charlton, subsequently rejoined Bristol City, and then transferred to Exeter before entering non-league football with Bath City. Following a recommendation from former Southampton striker John Sydenham, he relocated to Australia to initially play, then coach, and subsequently work and reside. It was in Australia that Michele and his second daughter, Nat, started inquiring about their ancestry, motivating Stacey to locate his father. What would Stacey’s opinion be on playing for Wrexham under its current Hollywood ownership? “I’d like to think it would be more than the £4 win bonus I was on there!” “For a long time dad had thought he was dead,” Michele remembered. For many years, Stacey and his mother were convinced he had died. A Sunday newspaper magazine featured impactful photographs from across the globe, among them an image captioned as Clarence Sims leaping from a bridge. Stacey eventually obtained this picture and presented it to Evelyn, who confirmed it was not the correct individual. Her assessment proved accurate. “The army had not been very helpful,” Stacey stated, noting that records for black conscripts from Clarence’s regions were not consistently meticulously maintained. “We hired someone to track him down. When she found him and told him his son in Australia wanted to speak to him, he told her his son was from England. He knew all about me.” However, perhaps not his pioneering career in football. Stacey traveled to see the father he had no recollection of but had envisioned for many years, spending time in Kemper County and visiting the nearby town of Meridian, known as the location of the Mississippi Burning trials. “It still didn’t feel like a place for a black man to be, but all I cared about was finding my father,” he commented, expressing anger over the region’s historical accounts and renewed gratitude for his birthplace and his mother’s courage in raising him. Stacey ultimately reconnected with Clarence. He mentioned that he immediately felt integrated into his newly found American family. Evelyn and Clarence had managed to maintain communication during the initial years of their son’s life before their contact ceased. This occurred prior to the era of mobile phones and digital messaging. Circumstances have changed since then. Stacey continues to communicate with his American relatives and speculates if the Hollywood attention on his former club has reached them. It is highly probable. “When I’d speak about Pop’s clubs I’d start with Ipswich and go back – and no-one would know who Wrexham were by the time I’d get to them,” chuckled grandson Alex, who confessed to being a significant admirer of ‘Always Sunny in Philadelphia’—the sitcom created by McElhenney. This is no longer the case, as Stacey played a crucial role in a historical narrative frequently disregarded. He intends to return to attend a match, having last done so in 2019, prior to the club’s recent Hollywood-driven prominence, though he added: “The problem is sitting in the stands. I still want to be out there playing!” Given that his story merits the kind of screenplays now linked with Wrexham, the query arises: who will portray Steve Stacey?