Marine Team One

Marine Team One, also known as the Headhunters, was a Southern California tournament paintball team organised by United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Jim “Gunny” Miller. The team was built around active-duty Marines stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Tustin, but used a mixed Marine and civilian roster so that military commitments would not prevent it from entering tournaments.[1]

Marine Team One competed in National Professional Paintball League events during the mid-1990s and used the Lion’s Den in Temecula, California, as its home field. Although associated with serving Marines, it was an independent paintball team and was not sponsored by the United States Marine Corps.[1]

History

Formation

Miller told Action Pursuit Games in August 1995 that he had started Marine Team One “about one year ago”. This places the team's documented formation at approximately 1994, although the surviving account does not establish an exact founding date.[1]

The team's original core consisted of active-duty Marines from Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16, commonly abbreviated MALS-16, based at Marine Corps Air Station Tustin. Operational commitments could produce frequent personnel changes, so the organisation also recruited civilian players.[1]

Marine Team One adopted a formal code of conduct based on fairness, honour, integrity, clean play and a positive attitude towards opponents. Players who deliberately broke the code could be removed from the team.[1]

Tournament competition

By August 1995, Action Pursuit Games reported that Marine Team One had entered four major NPPL events during its first year and reached the finals twice. The report did not identify the two events or record the team's final placings.[1]

The team attended the 1995 Dallas NPPL event. Marine Team One travelled with a converted truck carrying compressed-air tanks, a compressor, generator, equipment storage and an awning. According to Miller, its compressed-air system became the tournament's only functioning air source during the final two days of the event.[1]

Youth activities

In December 1994, Marine Team One organised a Kids’ Tournament Day at the Lion’s Den in Temecula. The morning programme covered paintball safety, tactics and equipment, followed by a youth tournament and prize drawing during the afternoon.[1]

Miller described the event as an opportunity to teach sportsmanship and personal responsibility. He also advocated the development of a separate youth league in which younger players could compete without being placed against adults.[1]

Documented roster

The roster published by Action Pursuit Games in August 1995 comprised:[1]

Jim Miller – captain;
Jim Schell – co-captain;
Fernando Ramos;
Gary Conover;
Dan Batt;
Craig Macdonald;
Aaron Ashbaugh;
Wayne Pellham;
Danny Lee;
Jeff Stanbaugh;
Ed Franco;
Eric Lambarri;
Nancy Savage;
Shawn McDoniel;
Ferdinand Salas;
Roy Howard;
Maney Salas;
Eugene “Doc” Gonzalez; and
Willie Waller.

The source does not identify which individual roster members, other than Miller and the team's MALS-16 core, were serving Marines or civilians.

Sponsorship and equipment

The United States Marine Corps did not sponsor Marine Team One. Its commercial sponsors in 1995 were listed as:

R.P. Scherer;
Air America;
Worr Game Products;
Unique Pro Gear;
JT USA;
Supply Sergeant of Michigan;
J&J;
On Target Products;
Pursuit Products;
Viewloader;
Geese T’s;
Battle Boy; and
the Lion’s Den.[1]

The August 1995 cover of Action Pursuit Games featured Fernando Ramos and Jim Miller using Evolution Auto-Cockers fitted with J&J hard-chrome rifled barrels. The accompanying caption also identified equipment supplied by Advantage, Unique Pro Gear, JT USA, Sumo Markers, Nike and Viewloader.[1]

A later Paintball History feature documented an Autococker body engraved with the name “Marine Team 1” together with a team patch.[2]

Later use of the name

Tournament records document another Southern California team competing under the names Marine Team One and Marine Team 1 from at least 2010.

Marine Team One competed in the Division II seven-player competition at the 2010 NPPL DC Challenge but did not advance from the preliminary round.[3] At the 2011 NPPL Chicago Open, a team of the same name placed third in Division II after defeating Top Gun Evolution in two of their three final-round games.[4]

West Coast Paintball Players League records also list Marine Team One in regional competition between 2010 and 2012.[5][6]

The available tournament records do not identify Jim Miller or other members of the 1995 roster. They therefore do not establish whether the later team was a continuation or revival of the original Marine Team One, or a separate team using the same name.

References