Ironmen

Ironmen is a name associated with several closely related professional paintball teams originating from the California Ironmen, one of the leading American tournament teams of the late 1980s and 1990s.

Following a division within the original organisation in late 1996, two separate teams competed under the Ironmen name: the Southern California Ironmen, associated with Dave Youngblood and Shane Pestana, and Bob Long's Ironmen, led by Bob Long.[1][2]

The original team's history subsequently continued through the Southern California Ironmen and the Los Angeles Ironmen, which competed in the National Xball League (NXL).[3][4]

History

Original Ironmen

The original Ironmen developed in California during the 1980s.

Bob Long became the team's captain, leading a group of players that included Dave Youngblood and Shane Pestana.

The team became established in professional tournament paintball and was associated with the early competitive adoption of the Autococker manufactured by Worr Game Products.[5]

The 1996 split

In late 1996, Bob Long left the original Ironmen organisation and established a separate team.

The new team competed under the name Bob Long's Ironmen, while the original organisation continued and became commonly identified as the Southern California Ironmen or SC Ironmen.

Contemporary reporting from the 1997 NPPL Las Vegas Desert Open explicitly distinguished the two teams.[1]

At the 1998 NPPL Chicago Open, Bob Long's Ironmen and Dave Youngblood's Ironmen played their first documented tournament match against each other following the split.

Bob Long's team won the match.[2]

Separate professional teams

Both teams continued competing in the National Professional Paintball League during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The NPPL's 2001 professional roster listed Bob Long's Ironmen and Ironmen as separate entries.

Bob Long captained the former, while Shane Pestana was listed as captain of the latter.[6]

At the 2002 NPPL Chicago Open, the Southern California Ironmen won the professional 10-player division, with Bob Long's Ironmen finishing second.[7]

The distinction between the organisations is important when attributing historical tournament victories, player rosters and championship records.

Los Angeles Ironmen

The Southern California Ironmen subsequently competed under the Los Angeles Ironmen name.

Los Angeles Ironmen were among the eight founding franchises of the original National Xball League in 2003.

The team continued competing in professional tournament paintball and became closely associated with DYE Precision.

The Los Angeles Ironmen remained active in NXL professional competition during the 2020s.[4][8]

Teams

The following articles cover the principal teams associated with the Ironmen name:

Ironmen (Southern California) – The original Ironmen organisation following the 1996 split, commonly known as the SC Ironmen.
Bob Long's Ironmen – The separate professional team established by Bob Long following his departure from the original Ironmen in 1996.
Los Angeles Ironmen – The later competitive identity of the Southern California Ironmen, associated with DYE Precision and professional NXL competition.

These names should not be treated as interchangeable when recording tournament results from the period in which two Ironmen teams competed independently.

References