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The American football position of quarterback is sometimes translated to Spanish as mariscal de campo (literally field marshal) It does not seem like this is the official translation since RAE limits mariscal de campo to its military meaning.

While the name certainly fits the role, where and when did this translation originate? What individual or organization came up with this translation?

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Searching in Google Books, shows that translation being already used back in 1969.

This is a newspaper/magazine called Hispano americano from 1969. Search for "dos de ellas" and "mariscal de campo". Take a look on the snippets of page 59, left column. It is definitely related to sports, possibly to American football.

I know it is not a complete answer, but could be an starting point to more skilled researchers :)

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  • This is an interesting find since it applies to baseball: based on page 59, it seems like the mariscal de campo is one of the managers from the Mexican league. The next paragraph mentions the Diablos Rojos de México and Aguila de Veracruz teams. – Jaime Soto Feb 22 '12 at 1:26
  • The dates may be inaccurate for this magazine in Google Books. I found an issue of Hispano Americano from 1944 that mentions Joe Montana. – Jaime Soto Feb 22 '12 at 1:40

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