Luis Márquez (footballer)

Luis Márquez Marmolejo (1876 – 1930) was a Spanish football executive who was the first-ever president of Athletic Club.^[1] He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of Athletic Club, being among the seven founders of the club in 1898, and then serving the club as its first president between 1901 and 1902, when he was replaced by Juan Astorquia.^[2][3][4]

Luis Márquez
1st President of Athletic club
In office 1902–1903
Succeeded by	Juan Astorquia
Personal details
Born	1876 Moguer, Huelva, Spain
Died	1930 Bilbao, Spain
Association football career Full name Luis Márquez Marmolejo Position(s) Forward Senior career* Years Team Apps (Gls) 1898–1904 Athletic Club *Club domestic league appearances and goals

Foundation of Athletic

Márquez was born in the Huelva town of Moguer in 1876. He married Magdalena Moral, from Alava. He worked in Bilbao as a commercial employee in various companies, including the Cementos Cosmos company, where he worked as an administrative manager.^[1][5][6]

As a young man he developed an interest in football after watching some football games between British workers at the Hippodrome of Lamiako next to Bilbao, and like many other Bilbainos, he began to play this new sport in Lamiako, notably with six students belonging to the Gymnasium Zamacois: Juan Astorquia, Alejandro Acha, Fernando and Pedro Iraolagoitia, Enrique Goiri and Eduardo Montejo.^[1][7] In 1898, the idea of founding a football society came out of those games, and they opened a practice center in Lamiako, thus unofficially founding the Athletic Club (using the English spelling).^[8] Although they were founded in 1898, Athletic Club de Bilbao was not officially established until 5 September 1901, in a meeting held in the Café San Gervasio de Cassolas, in which they formalized the first board of directors with Márquez being named the club's first-ever president.^[1][8] On the other hand, Juan Astorquia was named the club's first-ever captain, and it was he who took over from Luis Márquez in 1902.^[7]

Death

Márquez died in Bilbao in 1930 at the age of 54.^[1][5]

See also

History of Athletic Bilbao

References

1. "Presidente del Athletic Luis Márquez Marmolejo, 1º presidente del Athletic" [President of Athletic Luis Márquez Marmolejo, 1st president of Athletic]. delathletic.es (in Spanish). from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
2. "Presidents". www.athletic-club.eus. from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
3. (PDF). web.archive.org. 24 December 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
4. "El primer presidente, un administrativo de Huelva" [The first president, an administrative officer from Huelva]. athletic.elcorreo.com (in Spanish). 6 June 2021. from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
5. "Un estudio afirma que el primer presidente del Athletic Club de Bilbao era de Moguer" [A study affirms that the first president of Athletic Club de Bilbao was from Moguer]. www.diariodehuelva.es (in Spanish). from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
6. "La Polémica. Elecctiones Athletic" [The controversy. Athletic Elections]. servicios.elcorreo.com (in Spanish). 1 June 2001. from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
7. "La historia del Athletic en 10 momentos" [The history of Athletic in 10 moments]. www.marca.com. 27 April 2020. from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
8. "Los primeros años de foot-ball en Bilbao" [The first years of football in Bilbao]. memoriasclubdeportivodebilbao.blogspot.com (in Spanish). 8 September 2016. from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.