The Lineage is Old Tucson. A young man named John Hicks Pearce began, at a young age, to learn stunt work from the studio famous for western locations, and the same stunt techniques seen in hundreds of westerns throughout the years.

His first film was The Outlaw Josie Wales. He continued to entratain crowds at Old Tucson as one of the live performance stuntmen in the daily stunt shows. After several years, Pearce moved to Chicago in the late 80's and began teaching stuntwork at The Degerberg Academy of Martial Arts on Chicago's North Side.

One of his first students was Jim Dougherty, who later helped form The Chicago Stunt Team with Pearce and Laurie Schotz. With the core group of Pearce, Dougherty, Rob Herman, Brian Pokuta, Jim Vary, the Chicago Stunt Team began expanding the "full contact" live performance techniques by adding additional Martial Arts skills to the core foundation of the Old Tucson teachings. The team also developed students with studio (camera) techniques as well.

Original Members of
The Chicago Stunt Team