Bob Long's Ironmen

Bob Long's Ironmen was an American professional paintball team formed by Bob Long following his departure from the original Ironmen organisation in late 1996. The team competed primarily in the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) professional 10-man division and won the 1998 NPPL professional season championship. [1][2]

Also referred to as Bob's Ironmen and Bobby's Men, the team was distinct from the Southern California Ironmen, which continued under the leadership of Dave Youngblood and Shane Pestana. [3]

Bob Long's Ironmen remained a major professional competitor through 2002. Long subsequently led the Oakland Assassins in the newly established National Xball League (NXL). [4]

History

Formation and the Ironmen split (1996–1997)

Bob Long had been a prominent member and captain of the original Ironmen, one of America's leading tournament teams during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Following a division within the organisation in late 1996, Long departed and assembled a separate team under the Bob Long's Ironmen name. [1]

The original Ironmen continued competing independently, subsequently becoming known as the Southern California Ironmen and Los Angeles Ironmen.

Bob Long's new team entered professional competition during the 1997 NPPL season.

At the 1997 NPPL Las Vegas tournament, the team reached the professional 10-man finals and finished third behind the All Americans and Chicago Aftershock. Contemporary WARPIG coverage identified the result as the new team's first professional tournament placing. [1]

The organisation also fielded a second squad, known as Bob Long's Ironmen II, in amateur tournament competition during 1997. [5]

NPPL championship (1998)

The 1998 season established Bob Long's Ironmen as one of America's leading professional teams.

At the NPPL Chicago Open, the team met Dave Youngblood's Ironmen in tournament competition for the first time since the 1996 split.

The match attracted considerable attention because the teams shared a common history but were now competing as separate organisations.

Contemporary coverage described a closely contested game featuring Rich Telford for Bob Long's Ironmen and Micah McGlocklin for the original Ironmen. Bob Long's team won the match and subsequently finished third in the tournament. [3]

At the 1998 NPPL Portland Open, Bob Long's Ironmen finished second behind Ground Zero. The result strengthened the team's lead in the professional season standings. [6]

Bob Long's Ironmen secured the 1998 NPPL professional 10-man season championship, with the title confirmed at the World Cup in Orlando, Florida.

The team received its championship award during the World Cup presentation ceremony. [2]

Continued professional competition (1999–2000)

Bob Long's Ironmen remained active in the NPPL professional division during 1999 and 2000.

The team reached the semi-finals of the 1999 NPPL Chicago Open and continued competing against the original Ironmen, Ground Zero, Aftershock and other major professional teams. [7]

At the 2000 NPPL Los Angeles Open, Bob Long's Ironmen finished second behind Lockout. Avalanche finished third and Team Image fourth. [8]

The team also reached the professional finals of the 2000 NPPL World Cup in Orlando.

Bob Long's Ironmen finished fourth, while the Southern California Ironmen won the tournament and secured the professional season championship. [9]

2001 season

Bob Long's Ironmen won the professional five-player division at the 2001 Diablo Mardi Gras Open in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The team finished ahead of Southern California Ironmen II, Image II and Toulouse TonTons in the finals. The victory included a prize package of five personal watercraft. [10]

The team continued competing in the NPPL professional 10-man division.

The published 2001 roster identified Bob Long as captain, alongside Mike Carey, Arnold Franciso, Craig Fronsoe, Dustin Hansen, Roland Huyng, Kevin Jones, Zach Long, Tyler Michand, Mark Nelson and Ron Nelson. [11]

At the 2001 NPPL World Cup, Bob Long's Ironmen reached the professional finals and finished third behind San Diego Dynasty and Chicago Aftershock. [12]

Final NPPL 10-man seasons (2002)

Bob Long's Ironmen continued competing at the highest level during the final season of the original NPPL professional 10-man championship structure.

The team finished third at the 2002 NPPL Los Angeles Open, behind San Diego Dynasty and Aftershock. [13]

At the Chicago Open in June 2002, Bob Long's Ironmen advanced to the professional finals alongside Dynasty, Southern California Ironmen and Strange.

The team finished second behind the Southern California Ironmen, with Strange third and Dynasty fourth. [14]

Bob Long's Ironmen also competed internationally, finishing fourth in the professional division at the 2002 Millennium Series Portugal event. [15]

The team finished fifth in the overall 2002 NPPL professional 10-man standings with 208 ranking points. Dynasty and the Southern California Ironmen shared the championship with 229 points each. [16]

Oakland Assassins and X-Ball

The introduction of the NXL in 2003 marked a transition in Bob Long's professional team programme.

Long led the Oakland Assassins, one of the original eight professional NXL franchises.

The Assassins competed against the Los Angeles Ironmen, Philadelphia Americans, Chicago Aftershock and other professional organisations during the inaugural NXL season. [17]

The team finished the regular season as the highest-ranked NXL franchise in 2003 before advancing to the championship playoffs. [17]

The relationship between Bob Long's Ironmen and the Oakland Assassins was demonstrated during the 2004 NPPL Denver Open.

With NXL players permitted to enter NPPL tournaments but restricted from using their NXL franchise names, Bob Long's Oakland Assassins competed under the Ironmen name.

Contemporary WARPIG coverage explicitly distinguished Long's team from the Los Angeles Ironmen, which competed under the name The Men at the same event. [4]

The later competitive history of the Oakland Assassins is covered separately.

Notable players

Players documented with Bob Long's Ironmen include:

Bob Long – Founder and captain.
Rich Telford – Member of the 1998 roster before subsequently playing for the Southern California Ironmen.
Mike Carey – Member of the 2001 and 2002 professional rosters.
Arnold Franciso – Member of the 2001 and 2002 professional rosters.
Craig Fronsoe – Member of the 2001 and 2002 professional rosters.
Dustin Hansen – Member of the 2001 and 2002 professional rosters.
Kevin Jones – Member of the 2001 and 2002 professional rosters.
Zach Long – Member of the 2001 and 2002 professional rosters.
Mark Nelson – Member of the 2001 and 2002 professional rosters.
Ron Nelson – Member of the 2001 and 2002 professional rosters.

[3][11][18]

Selected tournament achievements

Year	Competition	Division	Result
1997	NPPL Las Vegas	Professional 10-man	3rd place [1]
1998	NPPL Chicago Open	Professional 10-man	3rd place [3]
1998	NPPL Portland Open	Professional 10-man	2nd place [6]
1998	NPPL Series	Professional 10-man	Series champions [2]
2000	NPPL Los Angeles Open	Professional 10-man	2nd place [8]
2000	NPPL World Cup	Professional 10-man	4th place [9]
2001	Diablo Mardi Gras Open	Professional 5-man	Champions [10]
2001	NPPL World Cup	Professional 10-man	3rd place [12]
2002	NPPL Los Angeles Open	Professional 10-man	3rd place [13]
2002	NPPL Chicago Open	Professional 10-man	2nd place [14]
2002	Millennium Series Portugal	Professional	4th place [15]
2002	NPPL Series	Professional 10-man	5th overall [16]

Equipment and sponsorship

The team maintained a close association with Bob Long's paintball equipment business.

Long was involved in developing customised markers and accessories, including the Delta Defiant and subsequent Bob Long Intimidator electronic paintball marker.

At the 1999 NPPL Las Vegas Open, Bob Long's Ironmen announced a sponsorship arrangement with Max Attack, an Australian compressed-air equipment manufacturer. Long reported using the company's air system with his Delta Defiant marker. [19]

The Intimidator became closely associated with Long's professional playing programme during the early 2000s and was subsequently used by numerous competitive teams. [20]

Legacy

Bob Long's Ironmen represented a significant period in the history of American professional paintball.

Its 1998 NPPL championship demonstrated the competitiveness of Long's newly assembled organisation following his departure from the original Ironmen.

The existence of two separate professional Ironmen teams between 1997 and 2002 is an important distinction when documenting tournament results, rosters and championship histories.

The team's later association with the Oakland Assassins also connected the NPPL 10-man era with the development of professional X-Ball. [4][17]

References

External links