HomeClassic Paintball ScansJoe Gorcsos of Florida Bushmasters, Brush Bandits and Rage

Joe Gorcsos of Florida Bushmasters, Brush Bandits and Rage

Last week Joe Gorcsos posted on the 1991 Lone Star Open Florida Bushmaster team photo with the identification of several team members.

I asked Joe if he had any old team photos or other memorabilia as well as some information on his paintball history.  He sent me a few photos of himself and his teammates on the team he joined after the Bushmasters, the South Florida Brush Bandits.

South Florida Brush Bandit's team photo.
South Florida Brush Bandits’ team patch courtesy Joe Gorcsos.

Joe started on the second squad of the Florida Bushmasters.  He writes, “I played on the second team and only got to play with them in practice and local state tournaments. The team started with Sheridan PMI pump guns and then were sponsered by [Line SI and used their] Bushmaster pump gun.”

Joe Gorcsos' patches.
Joe’s collection of patches including the Brush Bandit’s patch and the Florida Bushmaster patch. Photo courtesy Joe Gorcsos.

According to Joe, the Bushmaster couldn’t easily transition from a competitive pumps team to semi automatic play, commenting “The [Florida Bushmasters] never made a sucessful transition during the begining of the semi-auto era… [They] started using Automags but…only played a few events during that time…the last event i remember them playing was a five man at the World Cup in Orlando [around 94/95] which i judged as a member of Rage.”

South Florida Brush Bandit's tema photo
The South Florida Brush Bandit’s team photo. Courtesy Joe Gorcsos. Photo likely c. 1992.

Gorcsos left the Florida Bushmasters around 1992 to join Bob Moral’s Brush Bandits. Joe remembers:
“Bob Moral eventually started his own team [in 1992] called the South Florida Brush Bandits. [Myself and a] few others from the second squad [of the Bushmasters] started playing [for Bob].  We became a very good local team and did a few pro am events.”

South Florida Brush Bandits on the cover of the Hometown Herald c. 1992
A photo of the Florida Brush Bandit’s on the cover of the Hometown Herald (part of the Miami Herald). Cover is dated November 5th, 1992. Photo courtesy Joe Gorcsos.

After playing for the Brush Bandits, Joe and a few others joined with players from The Annihilators to form Rage (likely 94?).
“[Soon after] the Annihilators on the west coast [of Florida] lost a few of there golden oldies and we merged with them to form the pro team Rage.  [Rage] later went on to become miami rage.”

Brush Bandits team photo c.1992 in the herald.
The Brush Bandit’s team photo in the Hometown Herald, November 5th, 1992. Photo Courtesy Joe Gorcsos.
Eddie Carenaro in the hometown herald
Eddie Carenaro of the Brush Bandit’s pictured in Hometown Herald, November 5th, 1992. Photo courtesy Joe Gorcsos.

Joe retired from playing competitively in 1997 when he left Rage.
He writes, “Several of us left Rage after a couple years [in I believe 1997]. [That’s] when the team merged with the Terminators. The pro scene was hectic for us few.”

Gorcsos at the Bay City Open 1993.
Joe shooting a Palmer’s Typhoon or Stroker, possibly from a 1993. On Rage or the Brush Bandits? Photo courtesy Joe Gorcsos.
Gorcsos shooting a vm68 or pmi3.
Joe Gorcsos shooting a VM-68 or early PMI III. Cool Pro mask with a whipper snapper attached to the front. Photo courtesy Joe Gorcsos.

I thought the Terminators were associated with Rage closer towards the beginning, especially the Terminator’s captain Peter Bofill.  I asked Joe if Terminators players every played with on the Brush Bandits to which Gorcsos replied, that “The terminators were never a part of the brush bandits.”

Numbered South Florida Brush Bandit's photo.
A numbered team photo of the South Florida Brush Bandits. Please comment below if you can identify any players. See larger photo above in the article. Photo courtesy Joe Gorcsos.

Please comment below if you can identify any of the players in this photo:
1.
2. Jeff Steinberg (Rat)
3. Joe Gorcsos
4. Kenny Hall
5. Bob Moral
6. Scot Dunkelberger
7.
8. Mel Sequin
9.
10. Mike “Foxy” Fox
11. Eddie Canero
12. Bill Fleak
13. Bruce

 Thanks to Joe Gorcsos for the photos and information!

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8 COMMENTS

  1. That is me “Foxy” number 10. I played with the Brush Bandits and then about 7 of us merged with the Annihilators in 1993 to form “Rage”. I played with Rage from the beginning and retired in 1999. About 5 Terminators joined Rage in 1997. We won several tournaments, including 1997 NPPL 10 Man Pro Chicago, 1998 NPPL 10 Man Pro Vegas, and 1996 ESPN World Champions.

    • 1.
      2.Jeff Steinberg (Rat)
      3. Joe Gorcsos
      4.Kenny Hall
      5.Bob Moral
      6.Scot Dunkelberger
      7.
      8.Mel Sequin
      9.
      10. Mike Fox
      11. Eddie Canero
      12.Bill Fleak
      13. Bruce

  2. # 12..I was there from the creation of the South Florida Brush Bandits and Team Rage. With great times and great games. I can confirm the Terminators were not the original Rage. They joined a few years after Rage was already in place and in the paintball circuit.Team Rage had the type of bond that players playing next to each other already knew what his team members were doing or going to do without even talking to each other. Just how the game was going. Great group of guys.

  3. Thanks Michael, Joe and Bill. I updated the names on the Brush Bandit’s team photo. Any other names you remember or additional photos send them to me and I’ll post them to this article.
    And Michael, thanks for the dates on when Rage formed. That means you guys likely played the Lively series as Rage in 1993? Is Joe’s photo with the palmer’s semi auto from a Lively event in 93?
    Thanks again,
    -Dan

    • #4 , Bill and Joe are correct. We actually practiced against the Terminators locally and that helped us transition from Am to Pro. All the local South Florida Teams got along well and helped develop each other back then. Don’t forget about Art and the Palm Beach Predators. Great team and great guys!

  4. Cool article bob moral is my father and always told about the early days of the brush bandits glad I can read about it!

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