Promoter. Visionary. Savant. Pioneer.

All of those lofty words apply to Marcos, who first worked as Tampa Bay Rowdies’ public-relations director when the North American Soccer League franchise arrived in Tampa, then expanded his role to all manners of community work, player procurement, and overall philosophy development. At times, it seemed like Marcos was everywhere (and he was).

It wasn’t surprising when Marcos, a native of Portugal, became a 2024 inductee into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The honor chiefly recognized his 1986 founding of the Tampa-based United Soccer Leagues (USL), a vehicle that has helped to drive soccer advancement in the United States, perhaps his greatest passion.

Marcos was the man who called a news conference on Nov. 18, 1974, to announce that Tampa’s new soccer team would be nicknamed “Rowdies.’’ Marcos later said, “Symbolically, I was born that day — or at least my career was.’’

As a stylishly-dressed, multi-lingual pitchman who always looked to expand the game, educate new fans or develop programs for young players, Marcos naturally attracted attention. The game, which he played at Hartwick College, was more than an avocation. It was his life.

“I know the game inside and out,’’ Marcos once said. “That’s an advantage in my business over the guy who is a pro from the learning in a journalism school. And I think the kids of Tampa Bay, once they play soccer and see that opportunity, they’ll never go back.’’