{{Short description|Peruvian football manager (1928–1987)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}} {{family name hatnote|Calderón|Medrano|lang=Spanish}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Marcos Calderón | image = Marcos Calderon 1975 Copa America.png | upright = | caption = Calderón holding the Copa América trophy in 1975 | full_name = Marcos Calderón Medrano | birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|7|11|df=y}} | birth_place = Lima, Peru | death_date = {{Death date and age|1987|12|8|1928|7|11|df=y}} | death_place = Pacific Ocean, off Callao (Peru) | height = | position = Midfielder | years1 = 194?–1951 | clubs1 = Carlos Concha | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 1951–1956 | clubs2 = Sport Boys | caps2 = | goals2 = | totalcaps = | totalgoals = | nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | manageryears1 = 1958–1962 | managerclubs1 = Sport Boys | manageryears2 = 1961 | managerclubs2 = Peru | manageryears3 = 1963 | managerclubs3 = Defensor Lima | manageryears4 = 1964–1968 | managerclubs4 = Universitario | manageryears5 = 1965 | managerclubs5 = Peru | manageryears6 = 1967 | managerclubs6 = Peru | manageryears7 = 1969–1971 | managerclubs7 = Defensor Arica | manageryears8 = 1972–1974 | managerclubs8 = Sporting Cristal | manageryears9 = 1974–1976 | managerclubs9 = Alianza Lima | manageryears10 = 1975 | managerclubs10 = Peru | manageryears11 = 1977-1978 | managerclubs11 = Peru | manageryears12 = 1978–1979 | managerclubs12 = Barcelona S.C. | manageryears13 = 1979–1981 | managerclubs13 = Sporting Cristal | manageryears14 = 1980 | managerclubs14 = Peru | manageryears15 = 1981 | managerclubs15 = Tigres UANL | manageryears16 = 1981–1982 | managerclubs16 = Deportivo Municipal | manageryears17 = 1983 | managerclubs17 = Deportivo Táchira | manageryears18 = 1984 | managerclubs18 = Sport Boys | manageryears19 = 1985–1986 | managerclubs19 = Universitario | manageryears20 = 1987 | managerclubs20 = Juventud La Joya | manageryears21 = 1987 | managerclubs21 = Alianza Lima }}
'''Marcos Calderón Medrano''' (11 July 1928 – 8 December 1987) was a Peruvian football coach and player.
Nicknamed ''El Oso'' (the bear) or ''El Chueco'' (the crooked because of his bowed feet), this former Sport Boys midfielder remains the most decorated coach in the history of the Peruvian league with ten titles.<ref name=dechalaca>{{Cite web|author=Raúl Behr|title=El Oso, el Chueco, el campeón|trans-title=The Bear, the Crooked, the champion|url=https://dechalaca.com/informes/estadisticas/el-oso-el-chueco-el-campeon|website=dechalaca.com|language=es|date=12 July 2013|access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref>
He managed Peru six times, winning the 1975 Copa América and leading the ''Blanquirroja'' (the Red and Whites) to the 1978 World Cup. To this day, he is the only Peruvian coach to have qualified the Peruvian national team for a World Cup.<ref>{{Cite web|author=|title=Marcos "El Chueco" Calderón: Un día como hoy nació el único entrenador peruano que ganó la Copa América y clasificó a al Mundial a la Blanquirroja|trans-title=Marcos "El Chueco" Calderón: On this day was born the only Peruvian coach who won the Copa América and qualified the Blanquirroja for the World Cup|url=https://andina.pe/agencia/galeria-marcos-chueco-calderon-un-dia-como-hoy-nacio-unico-entrenador-peruano-gano-copa-america-y-clasifico-al-mundial-a-blanquirroja-26388.aspx|website=andina.pe|language=es|date=11 July 2025|access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref> He died in a plane crash on 8 December 1987, along with the entire Alianza Lima team.
== Playing career == Compared to his successful coaching career, his playing career remains relatively modest with only two club experiences, at Carlos Concha, then at Sport Boys where he reunited with his cousin Luis Calderón and won the first professional championship of Peru in 1951.<ref name="depor">{{Cite web|author=Eduardo Combe|title=El mes rosado: todos los títulos de Sport Boys en Primera|trans-title=The pink month: all of Sport Boys' titles in the First Division|url=https://depor.com/futbol-peruano/segunda-division/segunda-division-mes-rosado-seis-titulos-sport-boys-primera-division-41931/?ref=depr|website=depor.com|language=es|date=13 July 2017|access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref>
== Coaching career == === Club === Just two years after retiring as a player, Marcos Calderón replaced Dan Georgiadis as manager of Sport Boys and won the championship in 1958, his first title as a coach,<ref name="depor" /> and in his very first year in charge. This inaugural success set the tone for his coaching career, which was laden with titles (ten with his club and one with the national team), to the point that he was nicknamed ''Don Títulos'' (Mr. Titles) by Pocho Rospigliosi, a famous Peruvian sports journalist.<ref name="libero">{{Cite web|author=|title=Lo que tu viejo no te contó: A Marcos Calderon le decían "Don Títulos"|trans-title=What your father didn't tell you: Marcos Calderon was known as "Mr. Titles"|url=https://libero.pe/futbol-peruano/2011-11-10-lo-que-tu-viejo-no-te-conto-marcos-calderon-le-decian-don-titulos|website=libero.pe|language=es|date=10 November 2011|access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref>
Indeed, besides Sport Boys – where he won a second championship in 1984 – Calderón distinguished himself at the three biggest clubs in Peru: Universitario de Deportes (champions in 1964, 1966, 1967 and 1985), Sporting Cristal (champions in 1972, 1979 and 1980) and Alianza Lima (champions in 1975). With the latter club, he reached the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores in 1976.<ref name="libero" />
=== Peru national team === A Copa América winner in 1975, Marcos Calderón experienced both highs and lows with the Peruvian national team. Replacing György Orth in 1961, he led ''La Blanquirroja'' (The Red and Whites) during the 1962 World Cup qualifiers, a first experience that proved unsuccessful, as the Peruvians were eliminated by a Colombian team that was considered inferior on paper.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Eduardo Combe|title=Selección Peruana: la eliminación más dolorosa en Eliminatorias|trans-title=Peruvian National Team: The most painful elimination in World Cup Qualifiers|url=https://depor.com/futbol-peruano/seleccion-peruana-eliminacion-triste-eliminatorias-31400/|website=depor.com|language=es|date=16 March 2017|access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref> This did not prevent the Peruvian Football Federation from recalling him in 1965, only to see another disappointing performance from the Incas, who were overtaken by Uruguay in the 1966 World Cup qualifiers.
After a third return to the Peruvian bench in 1967, Marcos Calderón enjoyed greater success in the 1970s, culminating in the aforementioned 1975 Copa América victory, followed by qualification for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, where Peru reached the second round. His last experience in charge of Peru was in 1980 (only one match managed).
=== Alianza Lima air disaster === {{Main|1987 Alianza Lima plane crash}} Calderón, coach of Alianza Lima in 1987, perished with his team on 8 December 1987, off the coast of Callao when the plane carrying them crashed into the sea, an air crash that left a lasting mark on the Peruvian national consciousness.<ref>{{Cite web|author=José Blanco|title=Alianza Lima: se cumplen 32 años de la tragedia del Fokker que enlutó al fútbol peruano|trans-title=Alianza Lima: 32 years since the Fokker tragedy that plunged Peruvian football into mourning|url=https://rpp.pe/futbol/descentralizado/alianza-lima-fokker-f-27-se-cumplen-32-anos-de-la-tragedia-aerea-que-enluto-al-futbol-peruano-noticia-1233672|website=RPP|language=es|date=8 December 2019|access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref> Seventeen days after the accident, his decomposing body was found on a beach near Huacho, a town 150 km north of Lima. His son, "Marquitos" Calderón, was able to identify his father's body by his bowed feet.
== Honours == === Player === '''Sport Boys''' *Peruvian Primera División: 1951<ref name="depor" />
=== Manager === '''Sport Boys''' *Peruvian Primera División (2): 1958, 1984<ref name="depor" /><ref name="RSSSF">{{Cite web|author=Cesar Silva|title=Peru - Championship Winning Coaches|url=https://www.rsssf.org/players/peru-winning-coaches.html|website=RSSSF|date=15 November 2022|access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref>
'''Universitario de Deportes''' *Peruvian Primera División (4): 1964, 1966, 1967, 1985<ref>{{Cite web|title=Marcos Calderón, entrenador histórico de Universitario|trans-title=Marcos Calderón, historic coach of Universitario|url=https://universitario.pe/noticias/historia/marcos-calderon-entrenador-historico-de-universitario-4|website=Club Universitario de Deportes|language=es|date=11 July 2023|access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref><ref name="RSSSF" />
'''Sporting Cristal''' *Peruvian Primera División (3): 1972, 1979, 1980<ref name="RSSSF" />
'''Alianza Lima''' *Peruvian Primera División: 1975<ref name="RSSSF" />
'''Peru''' *Copa América: 1975
== Statistics <small>(manager)</small> == *724 matches managed in the Peruvian First Division (all clubs combined).<ref name="dechalaca" /> *51 matches managed for the Peruvian national team.<ref>{{cite web|author=|title=Ricardo Gareca rompe récord de Marcos Calderón al frente de selección peruana|trans-title=Ricardo Gareca breaks Marcos Calderón's record as head of the Peruvian national team|url=https://gestion.pe/tendencias/ricardo-gareca-rompe-record-marcos-calderon-frente-seleccion-peruana-250551-noticia/|website=gestion.pe|language=es|date=21 November 2018|access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{sports links}} *[https://www.besoccer.com/coach/marcos-calderon-2909 Marcos Calderón] at BeSoccer
{{South American Championship / Copa América winning managers}} {{Navboxes |title=Peru squads | bg = White | fg = Red |bordercolor=grey |list1= {{Peru Squad 1975 Copa América}} {{Peru Squad 1978 World Cup}} }} {{Navboxes |title= Marcos Calderón managerial positions |list1= {{Sport Boys Association managers}} {{Universitario de Deportes Managers}} {{Peru national football team managers}} {{Barcelona SC managers}} {{Sporting Cristal managers}} {{Alianza Lima managers}} {{Deportivo Municipal managers}} {{Deportivo Táchira managers}} {{Tigres UANL managers}} }} {{1987 Alianza Lima air disaster}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calderon, Marcos}} Category:1928 births Category:1987 deaths Category:Footballers from Lima Category:Peruvian men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Club Carlos Concha players Category:Sport Boys footballers Category:Peruvian Primera División players Category:Peruvian football managers Category:Sport Boys managers Category:Peru national football team managers Category:Club Universitario de Deportes managers Category:Sporting Cristal managers Category:Club Alianza Lima managers Category:Barcelona S.C. managers Category:Tigres UANL managers Category:Deportivo Municipal managers Category:Deportivo Táchira F.C. managers Category:Peruvian Primera División managers Category:Ecuadorian Serie A managers Category:Liga MX managers Category:Venezuelan Primera División managers Category:Peruvian expatriate football managers Category:Peruvian expatriate sportspeople in Ecuador Category:Peruvian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Category:Peruvian expatriate sportspeople in Venezuela Category:Expatriate football managers in Ecuador Category:Expatriate football managers in Mexico Category:Expatriate football managers in Venezuela Category:1978 FIFA World Cup managers Category:1975 Copa América managers Category:Copa América–winning managers Category:Victims of the 1987 Alianza Lima plane crash Category:20th-century Peruvian sportsmen