1994 NPPL season
The 1994 NPPL season was the second season of the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), a United States paintball tournament circuit. Its five-event calendar comprised the Dallas Open, D.C. Cup, Los Angeles Open, Chicago Open and World Cup.[1]
The Ironmen retained the professional 10-player season championship. Historical reporting also identifies Virginia's Phantom Force as the amateur five-player champions. The All Americans won both professional formats at the season-ending World Cup.[2][3]
Organisation and competition
[edit]The league's officers included president Bob Long, vice-president Al Podufaly, secretary Ed Lapanis and treasurer Renick Miller. A contemporary season preview described an organisation whose officers and committee members were predominantly professional tournament players.[1]
The published programme provided for five-player competition on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by 10-player competition from Friday to Sunday. Professional and amateur teams competed for separate awards.[1][4]
The January announcement identified Chicago as a possible exception to the five-day programme, with five-player competition still subject to a later decision.[4]
All tournaments were advertised as allowing competitors to bring their own paintballs. Published entry fees were US$500 for five-player teams, US$1,500 for amateur 10-player teams and US$2,000 for professional 10-player teams.[4]
Calendar
[edit]The dates below follow the season preview published in Action Pursuit Games.[1]
| Event | Advertised dates | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Open | 2–6 March 1994 | Dallas area, Texas |
| D.C. Cup | 27 April–1 May 1994 | Outdoor Adventures, Bowie, Maryland |
| Los Angeles Open | 22–26 June 1994 | Los Angeles area, California |
| Chicago Open | 24–28 August 1994 | Chicago area, Illinois |
| World Cup | 12–16 October 1994 | Paintball World, Kissimmee, Florida |
An April NPPL advertisement listed Los Angeles for 21–26 June, differing from the 22–26 June dates in the January programme and May magazine preview.[4][5]
Documented event results
[edit]ClassicScores records the following winners at Dallas and World Cup.[3]
| Event | Professional 10-player | Amateur 10-player | Professional five-player | Amateur five-player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Open | Ironmen | Washington Reign | GBD | Bad Karma |
| World Cup | All Americans | Blasters | All Americans | The Firm |
Paintball News published a correction confirming Washington Reign as Dallas's amateur winners after the team's photograph had been mislabelled and its name omitted from the original placement list.[6]
A contemporary R. P. Scherer/PMI advertisement recorded the All Americans first and Chicago Aftershock second at the D.C. Cup, but did not identify the format or division.[7]
Historical reporting records an additional professional five-player victory for the All Americans at Los Angeles.[2]
Season championships
[edit]The Ironmen won their second consecutive professional 10-player season championship. A retrospective account records that they finished second or higher in three of the four tournaments they entered during 1994 and refereed the remaining event.[2]
The same historical chronology identifies Phantom Force of Virginia as the NPPL amateur five-player title winners, distinguishing them from the Oregon team of the same name.[2]
| Competition | Documented season champion |
|---|---|
| Professional 10-player | Ironmen |
| Amateur five-player | Phantom Force, Virginia |
World Cup relocation
[edit]The season concluded with the first World Cup held in Florida following its relocation from New York. The venue was Paintball World, a woodland paintball field behind the Old Town entertainment complex in Kissimmee.[8]
The All Americans won both professional competitions there. Those tournament victories were separate from the Ironmen's professional 10-player season championship.[2][3]
References
[edit]- “National Professional Paintball League Enters Second Year”, staff report, Action Pursuit Games, May 1994, pp. 72–74. Contemporary season preview, officers, programme and advertised calendar.
- “History of Paintball”, reproduced on Automags.org from Paintball 2Xtremes, June 2005. Entries “1993–1995: The Ironmen Dominate the NPPL”, “1994–1996: Amazing All American Five-Man Run” and “1994 – Also in Paintball”.
- ClassicScores – 1994 Dallas Open and World Cup: professional and amateur five-player and 10-player results.
- “NPPL Schedule & Rules”, Paintball News, 22 January 1994, p. 4. Contemporary announcement of dates, formats, fees, paint policy and referee assignments.
- NPPL tournament-series advertisement, Paintball News, 16 April 1994, p. 31.
- “Correction”, Paintball News, 16 April 1994, p. 3. Confirms Washington Reign as Dallas's amateur winners.
- R. P. Scherer/PMI advertisement, “The Only Advantage Is Winning With RP Scherer”, Paintball News, 9 July 1994, p. 33. Records the All Americans first and Aftershock second at the D.C. Cup.
- WARPIG – “Road to World Cup 2005”, October 2005. Historical account of the 1994 relocation to Paintball World in Kissimmee.