Notable Teams: Ironmen.

At the precipice of paintballs explosion onto the competitive stage in the early 1990’s, Youngblood stood out amongst the rest both on the field, and within the industry. Often donning a black suit on the 10-man woodsball fields during the games earliest professional games, Youngblood quickly built a reputation both an an elite player, and a master marketer. Dave would go on to create the company DYE Precision (Dave Youngblood Enterprises) and launch some of the most successful products of all time such as the Dye Ultralight Barrel, the Matrix, and Dye Rotor. During a time in the game where paintball was looked on by the mainstream world as an outsiders game, Youngblood brought the sport into the forefront of the extreme sports world with his brash style, and unique approach to the games marketing. He was a critical engineer of what would become the modern media renaissance in the sport behind the creation of PBAccess, the games first legitimate live streaming platform for the pro game. His continued dedication to the sport, even long after he has stepped off the field, has helped build a tradition in the sport centered around pride in craftsmanship, professional commitment, and support of the tournament side of the game. However, for some of the sports biggest legends and greatest players, he isn’t just a groundbreaking entrepreneur within the sport, he is the Man In Black.

Notable Teams: All Americans, Philly Americans.

The Golden Age of paintball wouldn’t quite be the same without one of the sports greatest entrepreneurs, Adam Gardner. But, before he grew brands like Smart Parts, GOG, and DLX to some of the biggest companies paintball had ever seen, he was the fiery and indomitable leader of the All Americans in the 1990’s. One of the big three teams of the 90’s, Adam was the unquestioned leader on the field and his wild aggression, fearless demeanor, and competitive fire were the reason the All Americans became one of the winningest teams of the era. Gardner would go on to build and grow Smart Parts, a company that became the largest domestic manufacturer of paintball products in the country, and helped create some of the best selling products of all time such as the Ion, Freak Barrel System, Shocker, and Luxe. Even today, nearly 30 years after his first pro win, he continues to make a big impact on the 10 man field, making those same trademark wild and aggressive moves he was always known for. His dedication to the sport on both the professional and commercial side was a big reason the game of paintball reached the top of the extreme sports world in the 2000’s Golden Era, and his continued dedication to the pro game today has helped build and grow many top players under his company’s umbrella and the competitive scene as a whole.

Notable Teams: Image, Infamous. 

A truly elite back line player, Travis anchored many championship teams over his 30+ year career in professional paintball as both a player and coach. His off-the-break shooting was best in the league for the majority of his career and his ability to change games in the first five seconds was unmatched. He could consistently eliminate players early and then apply relentless pressure from the backline to get his players down the field. His IQ and ability to read the field was also elite, and he was able to use his IQ to close games effectively for decades under teams like Image and Infamous. His effect off the field is just as potent as his time on the field as well. He worked as an industry rep for some of the biggest companies in the sport and then went on to create his own brand of products around the Infamous team. His company is now producing some of the best products in the industry and he continues to innovate new products in the game. ​

Notable Teams: Ironmen. 
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Throughout the course of professional paintball, many tacticians have come through the ranks, and perhaps no player was more tactically precise than Ironmen legend Marty Bush. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, the strategy driven approach that Marty took to the game set the foundation for the style of the game we still see played today. His ability to simply walk a field and diagnose every major point of strength and weakness was elite, and his methodical style of play focused on putting his teammates in the best positions possible. He was one of the first players to actively scout and gameplan specific players and teams. Marty was the first elite pro player to emerge from the woods and find worldwide success as a professional player, and along with Fred Schultz, can be viewed as one of the game's first true international ambassadors. His individual skill with a marker was also way ahead of his time, and many would credit his techniques as a crucial base for how modern marker techniques have developed. ​

Notable Teams: Avalanche. 
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Rocky has and always will be the first true rockstar player in the sport of paintball. His wild attitude, reckless play, and the style he brought to the game came at a time when the sport was fairly tame and somewhat of an “old guys' game”. He brought the mentality of a rockstar and his style of play matched it. Alongside Chris Lasoya, he was the emotional leader of the Avalanche rosters that were nearly unbeatable in the late 90s and early 2000s before, in wild fashion, it all came crashing down from a wood side hill. Rocky also brought a new type of fashion and style to the game that was very influential during the emergence of the sport into the golden era. His contributions off the field as one of the game's biggest personalities cannot be understated and he was critical to the rapid spread of the sport's popularity across the World. He was consistently one of the best front players in the game during his prime and continues to be a high-level player in the classic circuit today. 
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Notable Teams: Philly Americans, Impact, Damage. 
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Tim Montressor was a visionary player who was incredibly versatile throughout his career in the professional league. Tim is one of the winningest players in the game's history and was able to rack up dozens of wins at multiple positions. Over his career he was an elite snake player, center player, and then began to transition into more of a support role where he became one of the best insert-type players the game had ever seen. His IQ and decision making on the field seemingly always ensured he was in the best position to succeed. Off the field, Tim was an unmatched industry rep and ambassador of the game. Tim travelled to countries all over the world playing, teaching, and supporting the sport of paintball. His work on the Iron City Classic led to a renaissance of the classic style of paintball and completely changed the landscape of what professional paintball can be. He also was a key figure at Smart Parts, DLX, and GOG over his near 20 years on the industry side of the sport, and assisted in the development and implementation of some of the most popular products on the market over the last decade. ​

Notable Teams: Aftershock, Ironmen. 

The best back player to ever play the game, Todd Adamson is perhaps the best example of how support players can impact the game in multiple ways. Todd was a key part of the Aftershock teams of the late-90s and early 2000s that went on one of the most dominant runs of any team in the game’s history. With his steady presence from the back-line, Todd helped Aftershock become arguably the greatest team of all-time. Known for his elite marker skills off-the-break, and his ability to read the field and position his players like a master chess player, Todd quickly earned the title as one of the best back players in the game. His impact off the field is also substantial, as Todd and his wife Tami created and ran one of the most successful soft-goods companies in the early 2000s, Extreme Rage, which revolutionized the gear that players used to carry paint on the field. ​

Notable Teams: Avalanche, Infamous. 

One of the most dominant players across multiple eras, Chris Lasoya was one of paintball's first true worldwide superstars. His rockstar attitude and high intensity on the field made him a star of the extreme sports world and his long list of World Championships and event wins made him one of the greatest players of all time. His ability to dominate in the woods during competitive paintball’s infancy and then define what the professional game could be during the emergence of airball and hyperball formats. His high intensity on the field was imbued in his passion and love for the game, and his big-move style of play paved the way for future superstars like Ollie Lang, Jon Richardson, and many other modern pros. Chris Lasoya is perhaps the best example in the game's history of cross-era dominance and his ability to lead teams to championships is undeniable. Along with other players on the pro team Avalanche, he was able to craft what the image of the sport could be and was a huge reason for the sports success in the early and mid-2000s. ​

Notable Teams: Ironmen, Assassins, Blast. 

When it comes to pursuing greatness, no player did that with more passion than Bob Long. A professional player from the late 80s and all the way into the mid-2000s, Bob was able to win World Championships in three different decades of paintball while being one of the most respected and vocal business owners in the game. After he retired, he became one of the best coaches in the game's history, with many all-time great players coming from his coaching tree such as Tyler Harmon, John Marques, Rich Telford and nearly every other professional player from California. Bob was a master planner on the field and was the centerpiece of many great Ironmen championships during their golden era run of the 90’s. He continued to find success into the early 2000s with his team, Oakland Assassins. Bob had the unmatched ability to walk onto any field, and consistently formulate winning game-plans whether it was in the woods, on the hyperball field, or on the airball field. He demanded excellence both on the field and with his business BLAST, which ignited the tech wars of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. He pushed paintball technology to its limits and was consistently ahead of his time in both design and implementation of new ideas into the sport of paintball. ​

Notable Teams: Aftershock, Ironmen. 

Billy Ceranski is a titan in the paintball world. His involvement in the early days of the sport, as well as his current role as the head of the largest company in paintball has been hugely impactful on the sport. Billy started his professional playing career in the late 1980’s and was the epitome of methodical and high survivability on the field. He was a masterful technician of the game and led teams such as Aftershock and the Ironmen to multiple World Cup titles and more than a dozen event wins.  He was always measured and calculated in the way he played but never would shy away from openings in the opponent's guard. Off the field, Billy was a critical figure during the early developments of Shocktech with Rennick Miller and Danny Love, and eventually worked with industry giants like PMI and KEE. Billy would go on to eventually become the current CEO of Kore Outdoors/GI Sportz and is arguably the most influential industry insider in the paintball world. Over the course of 30 years, Billy has been directly involved in some of the most critical products to ever be released and continues to lead Kore Outdoors as the largest company in the sport. ​