Paul DeZarn: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 12:27, 28 October 2026

Paul DeZarn is an American paintball player, coach and team manager associated with Brimstone Smoke, also known as Team Smoke. His career has included tournament playing, league administration, refereeing and coaching. His published recollections date his introduction to paintball to 1983 or 1984.[1][2]

DeZarn's former teams include the Dayton All Stars, Dyehards, Crow Warriors, Zero Tolerance, Method, Freak Factory, Detroit Fusion and Ohio Black Reign. His later work with Smoke is documented in team announcements and official tournament rosters.[1][2][3][4]

Early paintball

In a first-person account published on 1 June 2019, DeZarn recalled beginning in woodland behind apartments in Springboro, Ohio. He progressed into a local league which selected the Dayton Allstars, a team he said subsequently became the Dyehards.[1]

He also recalled a tournament in Morrow, Ohio, which he had understood at the time to be a world championship. His account qualified both that description and his recollection of the opposing teams; it did not give the event's date.[1]

League administration and refereeing

DeZarn stated that he served as president of the Greater Miami Paintball League and became a NAPRA official during this early period. The account did not specify the dates of either role.[1]

Tournament playing career

Early teams and national competition

Team Smoke's official profile lists the Dayton All Stars, Dyehards, Crow Warriors, Zero Tolerance, Detroit Fusion, Freak Factory and OBR among DeZarn's former teams.[2]

His 2019 account additionally identifies Method and the first Freak Factory team. He described progressing into professional competition with Detroit Fusion and subsequently playing a professional season with OBR.[1]

Detroit Fusion independently included Paul M DeZarn in a former-player list published on 10 August 2020. The list also named Erik Hamre, but did not provide dates for individual players' tenures.[3]

Continued participation

In June 2019, DeZarn wrote that he was still playing and supporting an MSXL team.[1] His subsequent involvement with Smoke included both coaching and team management.[2][4]

Team Smoke and Brimstone Smoke

Coaching appointment

On 19 February 2020, Team Smoke publicly welcomed DeZarn as a new team member and coach. The announcement referred to his previous professional playing and coaching experience. It explained that appointing a coach who was not simultaneously playing would allow tactical decisions to be made without placing that responsibility on the players.[4]

The team's official profile identifies DeZarn as its manager and coach and lists his home field as LVL UP Paintball.[2]

Management responsibilities

A Team Smoke player feature described DeZarn's involvement across the organisation's professional and amateur squads. His responsibilities included sponsorship arrangements, event accommodation, inspecting fields and developing game plans.[5]

Official records document his presence as checked-in staff at the 2022 ICPL Windy City Classic, held at The Badlandz from 29 September to 2 October.[6][7]

PBLeagues subsequently recorded him as a checked-in coach at the 2025 Classic Cup and the 2026 Windy City Classic.[8][9]

Classic Cup victories

Team Smoke won the professional ten-player division at the 2025 ICPL Classic Cup, with DeZarn registered as a coach. The team finished fourth in the overall 2025 professional ten-player standings with 265 ranking points.[8][10]

Competing as Brimstone Smoke, the team won the professional ten-player Classic Cup again in 2026. It finished second in that year's season standings with 286 points, behind Chicago Aftershock on 292. Its other 2026 finishes included second place at the Pittsburgh Open Classic.[11]

Year	Competition	Division	Team name recorded	Result
2025	ICPL Classic Cup	Professional ten-player	Team Smoke	1st.[10]
2026	ICPL Pittsburgh Open Classic	Professional ten-player	Brimstone Smoke	2nd.[11]
2026	ICPL Classic Cup	Professional ten-player	Brimstone Smoke	1st.[11]
2026	ICPL season standings	Professional ten-player	Brimstone Smoke	2nd.[11]

These are team achievements during DeZarn's coaching and management involvement, rather than individual playing titles.

References

I started playing somewhere around 83, 84. Paul M DeZarn, Complete History of Paintball Films & Discussion, Facebook, 1 June 2019. First-person retrospective account.
Paul DeZarn. Team Smoke Paintball, official player and staff profile. Undated; accessed 28 October 2026.
FAQs for Professional Paintball Team Detroit Fusion, with Cesare Pizzo. Detroit Fusion, Facebook, 10 August 2020. Includes a list of former players.
Team Smoke welcomes Paul DeZarn as coach. Team Smoke Paintball, Instagram, 19 February 2020.
Player of the Week: Paul DeZarn. Team Smoke Paintball, Facebook, undated team feature. Describes his coaching and management responsibilities.
Team Smoke at Windy City Classic. PBLeagues, 2022 event roster; lists Paul DeZarn as checked-in staff.
Windy City Classic. PBLeagues, official event information, 29 September to 2 October 2022.
Team Smoke at Classic Cup. PBLeagues, 2025 tournament roster; identifies Paul DeZarn as a checked-in coach.
Brimstone Smoke at Windy City Classic. PBLeagues, 2026 tournament roster; identifies Paul DeZarn as a checked-in coach.
International Classic Paintball League: 2025 Season Rankings. PBLeagues, official event and season standings.
International Classic Paintball League: 2026 Season Rankings. PBLeagues, official event and season standings.

External links

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Paul DeZarn''' is a [[paintball]] coach, team owner and former tournament player associated with [[Brimstone Smoke]], also known as '''Team Smoke'''. His career has included competitive playing, coaching and team management. Official tournament rosters document his coaching role with Smoke during its participation in the [[International Classic Paintball League]] (ICPL).[1][2][3]
+'''Paul DeZarn''' is an American [[paintball]] player, coach and team manager associated with [[Brimstone Smoke]], also known as '''Team Smoke'''. His career has included tournament playing, league administration, refereeing and coaching. His published recollections date his introduction to paintball to 1983 or 1984.[1][2]
-A biographical account supplied to WikiPaintball dates DeZarn's involvement in paintball to 1983. It describes a playing career with several American teams, followed by coaching Vintage and later becoming a coach, manager and co-owner of Brimstone Smoke.[1]
+DeZarn's former teams include the Dayton All Stars, Dyehards, Crow Warriors, Zero Tolerance, Method, Freak Factory, [[Detroit Fusion]] and [[Ohio Black Reign]]. His later work with Smoke is documented in team announcements and official tournament rosters.[1][2][3][4]
-== Playing career ==
+== Early paintball ==
-=== Early paintball ===
+In a first-person account published on 1 June 2019, DeZarn recalled beginning in woodland behind apartments in Springboro, Ohio. He progressed into a local league which selected the Dayton Allstars, a team he said subsequently became the Dyehards.[1]
-According to the supplied biographical account, DeZarn began playing in 1983 on a wooded lot in Springboro, Ohio. His early tournament involvement was with the Dyehards, who competed in a league associated with the Dayton All-Stars. The account also records participation in an early championship tournament at Morrow, Ohio.[1]
+He also recalled a tournament in Morrow, Ohio, which he had understood at the time to be a world championship. His account qualified both that description and his recollection of the opposing teams; it did not give the event's date.[1]
-His subsequent teams included the Crow Warriors, Zero Tolerance, Method, Freak Factory, [[Detroit Fusion]] and [[Ohio Black Reign]] (OBR).[1]
+== League administration and refereeing ==
-=== Method, Freak Factory and Detroit Fusion ===
+DeZarn stated that he served as president of the Greater Miami Paintball League and became a NAPRA official during this early period. The account did not specify the dates of either role.[1]
-The biographical account describes DeZarn and Eric Hamre leaving Detroit Fusion to establish Method. Following his time with Method, DeZarn returned to Freak Factory and subsequently rejoined Detroit Fusion as a professional player.[1]
+== Tournament playing career ==
-Hamre and several Freak Factory players joined Detroit Fusion the following season, according to the same account. It does not provide dates for these transfers or a complete tournament record for Method.[1]
+=== Early teams and national competition ===
-Ohio Black Reign was identified as DeZarn's final professional team. After leaving regular professional competition, he continued to make occasional guest appearances as a player.[1]
+Team Smoke's official profile lists the Dayton All Stars, Dyehards, Crow Warriors, Zero Tolerance, Detroit Fusion, Freak Factory and OBR among DeZarn's former teams.[2]
-== Coaching and team management ==
+His 2019 account additionally identifies Method and the first Freak Factory team. He described progressing into professional competition with Detroit Fusion and subsequently playing a professional season with OBR.[1]
-=== Vintage ===
+Detroit Fusion independently included Paul M DeZarn in a former-player list published on 10 August 2020. The list also named Erik Hamre, but did not provide dates for individual players' tenures.[3]
-After his principal playing career, DeZarn coached Vintage in the MSXL. This period preceded his later involvement in the management of Brimstone Smoke.[1]
+=== Continued participation ===
-=== Joining Brimstone Smoke ===
+In June 2019, DeZarn wrote that he was still playing and supporting an MSXL team.[1] His subsequent involvement with Smoke included both coaching and team management.[2][4]
-The supplied biography credits Danny Manning with approaching DeZarn about coaching and managing Brimstone Smoke around 2017 or 2018. It describes DeZarn subsequently taking responsibility for player development, roster preparation and the team's competitive programme.[1]
+== Team Smoke and Brimstone Smoke ==
-DeZarn's later coaching involvement is independently documented. PBLeagues identifies him as a checked-in coach on Team Smoke's roster for the 2025 Classic Cup and on Brimstone Smoke's roster for the 2026 Windy City Classic.[2][3]
+=== Coaching appointment ===
-The team's official website also includes DeZarn among its personnel. Player Cody Szmik's published profile names DeZarn, Anthony Call and Danny Manning among his coaches at Team Smoke.[4]
+On 19 February 2020, Team Smoke publicly welcomed DeZarn as a new team member and coach. The announcement referred to his previous professional playing and coaching experience. It explained that appointing a coach who was not simultaneously playing would allow tactical decisions to be made without placing that responsibility on the players.[4]
-=== Ownership and approach ===
+The team's official profile identifies DeZarn as its manager and coach and lists his home field as LVL UP Paintball.[2]
-The October 2026 biographical account identifies DeZarn as a co-owner of Brimstone Smoke alongside members of the Call family. It describes his responsibilities as extending beyond match coaching to developing players, maintaining roster depth and preparing the organisation to compete in several formats.[1]
+=== Management responsibilities ===
-The account identifies communication, commitment, connection and confidence as principles of his approach to team management. It also emphasises shared responsibility among players, coaches and supporting personnel.[1]
+A Team Smoke player feature described DeZarn's involvement across the organisation's professional and amateur squads. His responsibilities included sponsorship arrangements, event accommodation, inspecting fields and developing game plans.[5]
-== Classic tournament competition ==
+Official records document his presence as checked-in staff at the 2022 ICPL Windy City Classic, held at [[Badlandz Paintball Field|The Badlandz]] from 29 September to 2 October.[6][7]
-=== 2025 Classic Cup ===
+PBLeagues subsequently recorded him as a checked-in coach at the 2025 Classic Cup and the 2026 Windy City Classic.[8][9]
-Team Smoke won the professional ten-player division at the 2025 ICPL Classic Cup, finishing ahead of Image and [[Chicago Aftershock]]. DeZarn was registered as a coach for the event.[2][5][6]
+=== Classic Cup victories ===
-The tournament victory was separate from the season championship. Team Smoke finished fourth in the overall 2025 professional ten-player standings with 265 ranking points, while Chicago Aftershock won the series.[5]
+Team Smoke won the professional ten-player division at the 2025 [[International Classic Paintball League|ICPL]] Classic Cup, with DeZarn registered as a coach. The team finished fourth in the overall 2025 professional ten-player standings with 265 ranking points.[8][10]
-=== 2026 season ===
+Competing as Brimstone Smoke, the team won the professional ten-player Classic Cup again in 2026. It finished second in that year's season standings with 286 points, behind [[Chicago Aftershock]] on 292. Its other 2026 finishes included second place at the Pittsburgh Open Classic.[11]
-Competing as Brimstone Smoke, the team finished fifth at the 2026 Golden State Classic, fourth at the Windy City Classic and second at the Pittsburgh Open Classic before winning the Classic Cup.[7]
-The Classic Cup victory was the team's second consecutive professional ten-player title at that event. The official rankings placed Chicago Aftershock second and the All Americans third.[5][7]
-Brimstone Smoke finished second in the 2026 ICPL professional ten-player season standings with 286 points. Chicago Aftershock won with 292. The All Americans also scored 286 points but were placed third in the published standings.[7]
-The season calculation counted each team's three highest event scores. Smoke's counted results were its fourth place at the Windy City Classic, second at Pittsburgh and first at the Classic Cup.[7]
-=== Selected team achievements ===
-These are results achieved by Brimstone Smoke during DeZarn's coaching and management involvement, rather than individual playing titles.
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 72: / Line 60: @@
 | Professional ten-player
 | Team Smoke
-| 1st.[2][5]
+| 1st.[10]
 |-
 | 2026
@@ Line 78: / Line 66: @@
 | Professional ten-player
 | Brimstone Smoke
-| 2nd.[7]
+| 2nd.[11]
 |-
 | 2026
@@ Line 84: / Line 72: @@
 | Professional ten-player
 | Brimstone Smoke
-| 1st.[7]
+| 1st.[11]
 |-
 | 2026
@@ Line 90: / Line 78: @@
 | Professional ten-player
 | Brimstone Smoke
-| 2nd, with 286 ranking points.[7]
+| 2nd.[11]
 |}
-=== World Cup plans ===
+These are team achievements during DeZarn's coaching and management involvement, rather than individual playing titles.
-The supplied October 2026 biography described preparations for the [[Paintball World Cup|NXL World Cup]], with intended entries in three-player, five-player, seven-player and ten-player formats. These were stated plans rather than completed tournament results.[1]
 == See also ==
@@ Line 103: / Line 89: @@
 * [[Ohio Black Reign]]
 * [[International Classic Paintball League]]
-* [[National Xball League]]
 == References ==
-# ''Paul DeZarn: More Than Four Decades in Paintball''. Biographical account supplied to WikiPaintball, October 2026. Unpublished contributor material covering DeZarn's early playing career, coaching, recruitment to Brimstone Smoke, ownership and future plans. These details are attributed to the account rather than independently established tournament records.
+# [https://www.facebook.com/groups/2340461352945517/posts/2343774302614222/ I started playing somewhere around 83, 84]. Paul M DeZarn, ''Complete History of Paintball Films & Discussion'', Facebook, 1 June 2019. First-person retrospective account.
-# [https://pbleagues.com/team/roster/NYy8yp6qExuuWHxV Team Smoke at Classic Cup]. PBLeagues, 2025 tournament roster. Identifies Paul DeZarn as a checked-in coach.
+# [https://teamsmokepaintball.com/blog/portfolio/paul-dezarn/ Paul DeZarn]. Team Smoke Paintball, official player and staff profile. Undated; accessed 28 October 2026.
-# [https://mlpb.pbleagues.com/team/roster/mGfqL1wk6Q7oVfbb Brimstone Smoke at Windy City Classic]. PBLeagues, 2026 tournament roster. Identifies Paul DeZarn as a checked-in coach.
+# [https://www.facebook.com/DetroitFusion/posts/faqs-for-professional-paintball-teamdetroit-fusion-with-cesare-pizzoq-how-long-h/10157620133018652/ FAQs for Professional Paintball Team Detroit Fusion, with Cesare Pizzo]. Detroit Fusion, Facebook, 10 August 2020. Includes a list of former players.
-# [https://teamsmokepaintball.com/blog/portfolio-category/player-profiles/ Player Profiles]. Team Smoke Paintball, official personnel profiles. Includes DeZarn and Cody Szmik's account of his coaches. Accessed 28 October 2026.
+# [https://www.instagram.com/p/B8xh5v9h_ph/ Team Smoke welcomes Paul DeZarn as coach]. Team Smoke Paintball, Instagram, 19 February 2020.
+# [https://www.facebook.com/teamsmokepaintball/posts/we-hope-everyone-was-able-to-get-out-to-the-fields-and-have-some-fun-over-the-we/734316538479666/ Player of the Week: Paul DeZarn]. Team Smoke Paintball, Facebook, undated team feature. Describes his coaching and management responsibilities.
+# [https://pbleagues.com/team/roster/nA9sAd4KaWFJV5Ok Team Smoke at Windy City Classic]. PBLeagues, 2022 event roster; lists Paul DeZarn as checked-in staff.
+# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7726/info Windy City Classic]. PBLeagues, official event information, 29 September to 2 October 2022.
+# [https://pbleagues.com/team/roster/NYy8yp6qExuuWHxV Team Smoke at Classic Cup]. PBLeagues, 2025 tournament roster; identifies Paul DeZarn as a checked-in coach.
+# [https://mlpb.pbleagues.com/team/roster/mGfqL1wk6Q7oVfbb Brimstone Smoke at Windy City Classic]. PBLeagues, 2026 tournament roster; identifies Paul DeZarn as a checked-in coach.
 # [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2025 International Classic Paintball League: 2025 Season Rankings]. PBLeagues, official event and season standings.
-# [https://paintballdirt.substack.com/p/weekly-newsletter-team-smoke-wins Team Smoke Wins ICPL Classic Cup!]. Brandon Olson, ''Paintball Dirt'', 6 October 2025.
 # [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2026 International Classic Paintball League: 2026 Season Rankings]. PBLeagues, official event and season standings.
 == External links ==
+* [https://teamsmokepaintball.com/blog/portfolio/paul-dezarn/ Official Team Smoke profile]
 * [https://teamsmokepaintball.com/ Team Smoke official website]
-* [https://teamsmokepaintball.com/programs/ Team Smoke personnel]
+[[Category:American paintball players]]
 [[Category:Paintball players]]
 [[Category:Paintball coaches]]
-[[Category:Paintball entrepreneurs]]
 [[Category:Paintball people]]

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