Ironmen (Southern California)

The Southern California Ironmen, also known as the SC Ironmen and Ironmen, were an American professional paintball team that continued the original California Ironmen organisation following the departure of Bob Long in late 1996.

Associated with Dave Youngblood, Shane Pestana and several other established professional players, the team competed in the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) during the late 1990s and early 2000s.[1][2]

The Southern California Ironmen won the 2000 NPPL World Cup and professional season championship, and shared the 2002 professional season title with San Diego Dynasty.[3][4]

The team subsequently competed as the Los Angeles Ironmen, one of the founding franchises of the original National Xball League in 2003.[5]

History

Origins

The original Ironmen developed in Northern California during the 1980s.

The team's early leadership included Bob Long, who captained the Ironmen during their rise to prominence in professional tournament paintball.

Players associated with the original team included Shane Pestana, Marty Bush and Dave Youngblood.

During the early 1990s, the Ironmen became closely associated with Worr Game Products and the Autococker marker.[6]

The team achieved considerable success in the early NPPL, winning three consecutive professional season championships from 1993 through 1995.[7]

Split in 1996

Following the 1996 tournament season, Bob Long departed the original Ironmen organisation and established a separate team.

The new organisation competed under the name Bob Long's Ironmen, while the original team continued under the leadership of its remaining members.

Contemporary reporting from the 1997 NPPL Las Vegas Desert Open explicitly distinguished Bob Long's new team from the original Ironmen, who were refereeing rather than competing at that tournament.[1]

The continuing team became commonly identified as the Southern California Ironmen or SC Ironmen, distinguishing it from Bob Long's organisation.

By 1998, tournament records identified the teams separately as Ironmen DY and Ironmen BL, referring to Dave Youngblood and Bob Long respectively.[8]

Both organisations continued competing professionally under variations of the Ironmen name.

Rebuilding the team

Following the split, the Southern California Ironmen continued developing their roster and competitive programme.

Shane Pestana became a central figure in the team's leadership, while Dave Youngblood remained closely associated with the organisation through DYE Precision.

The team also developed links with SC Village and its dedicated tournament facilities.

During the late 1990s, Ironmen player Brahim Estephan worked with SC Village on the development of the SC Arenas tournament complex.

The facility incorporated inflatable bunkers, Hyperball and earth-mound playing fields, providing a dedicated venue for professional tournament practice.[9]

2000 NPPL championship

The Southern California Ironmen achieved major success during the 2000 NPPL season.

At the Chicago Open in June, the team won the professional 10-player competition.[10]

At the NPPL World Cup in Kissimmee, Florida, the Ironmen again won the professional 10-player division.

The team won all three of its finals games, including a decisive victory over Chicago Aftershock.

The result also secured the 2000 NPPL professional season championship.

Contemporary WARPIG coverage identified the Southern California Ironmen as both the World Cup winners and overall professional series champions.[3]

2001 season and roster changes

The Ironmen continued competing in the NPPL professional division during 2001.

The league's published professional roster identified Shane Pestana as captain.

Other documented players included Marty Bush, Bryon Benini, Brahim Estephan, Oliver Lang, Yosh Rau, Rich Telford, Micah McGlocklin and Billy Wing.[11]

The 2001 World Cup marked a period of significant personnel changes.

Marty Bush announced his retirement from regular tournament competition, while Pestana and several other experienced members subsequently departed the playing roster.[12]

The team underwent substantial restructuring before the 2002 season.

2002 season

Rich Telford became captain of the restructured Ironmen team.

New players included Mike Foss and Brian Ravenel from the Naughty Dogs, along with former Image player Andy Kopcok.[13]

The Southern California Ironmen won the professional 10-player competition at the 2002 NPPL Chicago Open.

During the final round, they defeated Bob Long's Ironmen 94–12, before finishing first overall ahead of Bob Long's team, Strange and Dynasty.[14]

At the conclusion of the 2002 season, the Southern California Ironmen and Dynasty each accumulated 229 professional championship ranking points.

Following the World Cup, tournament promoter Jerry Braun determined that the teams would share the championship rather than have their positions separated using game-point totals.[4]

The Southern California Ironmen were therefore recognised as joint 2002 NPPL professional season champions.

Transition to Los Angeles Ironmen

In 2003, the team entered the newly established National Xball League under the name Los Angeles Ironmen.

The original NXL operated as a franchise-based professional league, with eight teams representing American metropolitan areas.

The Los Angeles Ironmen were among the inaugural franchises.

Their roster for the opening tournament in February 2003 included Rich Telford, Yosh Rau, Micah McGlocklin, Billy Wing, Andy Kopcok and Matt Marshall.[5]

The Los Angeles Ironmen subsequently continued competing under the Ironmen name, maintaining their association with DYE Precision.

Shane Pestana remained associated with the organisation, serving as head coach during the 2023 professional season.[15]

Notable results

Year	Competition	Result
2000	NPPL Chicago Open, professional 10-man	1st
2000	NPPL World Cup, professional 10-man	1st
2000	NPPL professional season championship	1st
2002	NPPL Chicago Open, professional 10-man	1st
2002	NPPL professional season championship	Joint 1st with Dynasty

The results above refer specifically to the Southern California Ironmen rather than Bob Long's separate team.[3][4][10][14]

Notable players

Players documented with the Southern California Ironmen include:

The list includes players from different seasons and does not represent a single tournament roster.[11][13]

Legacy

The Southern California Ironmen continued the competitive identity of one of paintball's earliest successful professional teams following the 1996 division.

Their 2000 World Cup and NPPL season victories demonstrated the organisation's continued success after the departure of Bob Long.

The team's subsequent restructuring and transition to the Los Angeles Ironmen connected the original 10-player tournament era with the introduction of professional X-Ball in 2003.

The Southern California Ironmen and Bob Long's Ironmen should be treated as separate competitors when documenting tournament results from 1997 onwards.

References

External links