Brian Cole
Brian Cole, also known as B.C., is an American paintball player best known as an original member of San Diego Dynasty, one of the most successful professional tournament teams in the sport's history. Cole previously competed with IronKids and KAPP Factory, winning the inaugural Spyder Cup in 2000 before joining Dynasty for its first professional season in 2001.[1][2][3]
Early career
[edit]Cole emerged from the California tournament paintball scene during the late 1990s. He joined IronKids, a youth team organised by Alex Fraige and Oliver Lang, alongside players including Ryan Greenspan and Angel Fragoza.
A 2006 Los Angeles Times retrospective identified Cole as a teenage recruit from Orange County who became part of the IronKids squad before the formation of Dynasty.[1]
2000 Spyder Cup
[edit]On 27–28 May 2000, Cole competed with KAPP Factory at the inaugural Spyder Cup, held at Three Rivers Paintball near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The five-player team consisted of:
- Brian Cole
- Ryan Greenspan
- Alex Fraige
- Kenny Chamberlain
- Yosh Rau
KAPP Factory defeated 98 other amateur teams to win the tournament, finishing ahead of Strange, OBR I and Machine.
The first-place prize consisted of five Ford Mustang cars, valued at approximately US$88,000. Contemporary coverage by WARPIG reported that Cole received the green Mustang after the players drew straws to determine who would receive it.[2]
Professional career
[edit]San Diego Dynasty
[edit]Cole joined Dynasty during the team's formation in 2001, alongside several former IronKids teammates.
The original professional roster, captained by Chuck Hendsch, included Cole, Alex Fraige, Ryan Greenspan, Angel Fragoza, Brad Maughan, Rodney Squires and other established players.[3]
Cole was again listed on Dynasty's published National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) professional roster in 2002.[4]
During the following years, Cole competed with Dynasty across the team's championship-winning period in the NPPL Super 7 and other professional tournament formats.
In March 2004, Cole participated in the NPPL Super 7 tournament at Huntington Beach, California. The Los Angeles Times interviewed him during the event, which Dynasty won for the second consecutive year.[5]
A May 2006 roster for the Smart Parts Paintball World Championships listed Cole with Dynasty, wearing jersey number 2 and identifying his home town as Corona del Mar, California.[6]
2007 NPPL Boston victory
[edit]Cole was involved in Dynasty's victory at the 2007 NPPL Boston tournament, held on 13–15 July.
In contemporary match coverage, WARPIG described Cole providing defensive fire during Dynasty's final against Los Angeles Infamous, restricting the movement of opponent Jon Richardson.
Dynasty won the professional division, strengthening its position in the season championship standings.[7]
Later appearances
[edit]Competition records maintained by PBLeagues list Cole among Dynasty's historical players, recording 24 event appearances in its database.
His last listed event in that record is the 2018 West Coast Classic Paintball Series Bay Cities Classic, where Dynasty finished first in the Open 10-man division.[8]
Selected achievements
[edit]| Year | Tournament | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Spyder Cup | 1st, amateur 5-man | KAPP Factory |
| 2004 | NPPL Huntington Beach | 1st, professional division | San Diego Dynasty |
| 2007 | NPPL Boston | 1st, professional division | San Diego Dynasty |
| 2018 | Bay Cities Classic | 1st, Open 10-man | San Diego Dynasty |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- Los Angeles Times, Alex French, "War Games", 7 May 2006. Retrospective covering IronKids, Dynasty and Cole's early career.
- WARPIG, Bill Mills, "Kingman Spyder Cup", 27–28 May 2000. Contemporary tournament report identifying the KAPP Factory roster and prize winners.
- WARPIG, "NPPL 2001 Professional Rosters".
- WARPIG, "NPPL 2002 Professional Rosters".
- Los Angeles Times, Mike Sciacca, "Paint by the numbers", 25 March 2004.
- WARPIG, "Smart Parts Paintball World Championships 2006 Team Rosters", May 2006.
- WARPIG, "NPPL Boston", 13–15 July 2007. Contemporary tournament report.
- PBLeagues, "San Diego Dynasty", historical team results and player records.