Lou “ Gramps ” Grubb and Mike “ Grizzly ” Grubb - Before these two developed the first constant air system in 1986 all player were using 12-gram C02 cartridges . Located near SC Village for most of their stay in paintball Gramps and Grizzly were also early day Brass Eagle ( 80s-90s ) tech experts working on guns like the Nightmare , Ninja , Poison and so many more .
Ged Green - WDP , the company owned by Ged Green , was really the first company to take the tournament game out of the woods . Once they introduced Hyperball in ‘ 96 , the tournament game changed forever . Of course , his company WDP also introduced the Angel paintball gun and many other products used by top-level players worldwide . After patent battles and lawsuits WDP disbanded more than a dedace ago .
John Gregory – Taking an already-successful company making motocross equipment and completely changing its direction by entering a new and growing sport like paintball was nothing short of gutsy . However , it paid off for JT ’ s John Gregory , as the company made the very first paintball-specific goggles , forever making the sport safer , then made the first non-camouflage playing clothing like concept pants and jerseys , adding colorful legitimacy to the sport of paintball as the game came out of the woods and shrugged off its “ militia ” image . John Gregory was inducted into the Motocross Hall of Fame in 2010 . For those that love history , the name “ JT ” came from the nickname “ Tijuana John .” But the Gregories thought “ TJ ” was too common so they chose to invert the acronym to “ JT .”
Rose Griffith - Unique Sporting of Anaheim , California was owned and operated by Rose and Al Griffith ( brother ). In the early 90s Rose was a big player in paintball - as a manufacturer , an event sponsor and paintball ambassador , traveling to events around the U . S . supporting teams and players . Rose ’ s claim to fame was her very ahead-of-their time packs , which were hand sewn right in their Anaheim warehouse / retail store .
James Hale - Almost ten years before the first game of paintball was played , James Hale invented the Nelspot paint marker . Without this simple , bolt-action pistol , initially intended for marking cattle for slaughter or trees for logging , paintball might have been a lot different , if it had come to be at all .
Left to Right : Top : Grizzly Grubb , Gramps Grubb , Gen Green - Bottom : John Gregory , Rose Griffith , James Hale , Forest Hatcher , Charles Holton
024 paintball . media magazine