Rodney Morris
Rodney Morris (born November 25, 1970, in Anaheim, California) is a professional pool player, nicknamed "the Rocket". In 2016, he was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame. Morris won the 1996 U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship, 2003 World Pool League, 2006 UPA Pro Tour Championship (nine-ball), and 2013 U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship, among many other individual titles. In doubles play, he and Shane Van Boening took the 2008 World Cup of Pool. He has also been a member of the winning Team USA in the Mosconi Cup events of 2003–2005, and was the Mosconi Cup MVP in 2004.
 Morris c. 2007 | |||||||||
| Born | November 25, 1970 Anaheim, California, U.S. | ||||||||
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| Sport country | .png.webp){kind=small} United States | ||||||||
| Nickname | "The Rocket" | ||||||||
| Professional | 1993 | ||||||||
| Pool games | Nine-ball, ten-ball, eight-ball | ||||||||
| Best finish | Semi-finals, 2005 WPA World Nine-ball Championship | ||||||||
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Medal record
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Career
In 1996, Morris won his first major tournament by defeating Efren Reyes in the finals of the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship. In 2001, after five years of not playing in a professional tournament, Morris came back to win the Sands Regency Nine-ball Open. In 2003, he won the World Pool League nine-ball tournament, besting Thorsten Hohmann, the reigning world champion.[1]
He has represented Team USA in the Mosconi Cup on eight occasions, including the team's 2003, 2004, and 2005 victories against Team Europe in this annual nine-ball match. He received the Mosconi Cup's Most Valuable Player award in 2004.
As a member of the International Pool Tour (IPT),[2] in July 2006 he was runner-up to Efren Reyes in the inaugural IPT World Open Eight-ball Championship which was held in Reno, Nevada. While Reyes earned $500K for first place, Morris won $150K for second. Morris did take the 2006 United Pool Players Association (UPA) Pro Tour Championship in nine-ball.
In July 2007, Morris was designated as the Lead Player Representative of UPA (now United States Professional Poolplayers Association), the men's governing body of professional pool in the United States.[3]
In 2008, Rodney and Shane Van Boening won the World Cup of Pool doubles nine-ball event in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
While Morris's career has been dominated by nine-ball competition, he has also been professionally active in ten-ball, and won the 2007 Steve Mizerak Ten-ball Championship, and 2013 U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship,[4] among other events in the discipline. His eight-ball work has been less frequent, but includes a co-win in the 2010 Poison Doubles Eight-ball Championship.
Morris was honored with induction into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 2016.
Titles
- 1994 Capital City Nine-ball Open
- 1996 Grand Prix de Puerto Rico
- 1996 U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship
- 2001 Sands Regency Nine-ball Open
- 2002 Hard Times, nine-ball division
- 2003 World Pool League
- 2003 Mosconi Cup
- 2004 Breakers Open, nine-ball event
- 2004 Sands Regency Nine-ball Open
- 2004 Seminole Florida Pro Tour Stop
- 2004 Corpus Christi Classic
- 2004 Houston Open
- 2004 World All Stars Invitational Team Cup
- 2004 Mosconi Cup
- 2004 Mosconi Cup (MVP)
- 2005 Mosconi Cup
- 2005 World Games, nine-ball bronze medal
- 2006 Andy Grubbs Memorial Nine-ball Tournament
- 2006 UPA Pro Tour Championship
- 2006 Seminole Florida Pro Tour Stop
- 2007 SE Open Nine-ball Tour Stop
- 2007 Steve Mizerak Ten-ball Championship
- 2008 World Cup of Pool, with (Shane Van Boening)
- 2008 Quezon City Invasion
- 2010 Seminole Pro Tour Stop
- 2010 Poison Doubles Eight-ball Championship
- 2010 Seminole Pro Tour Stop
- 2011 Derby City Classic Ten-ball Challenge
- 2011 Interpool Open Nine-ball Tournament
- 2011 Turning Stone Classic XVII
- 2011 Chuck Markulis Memorial, nine-ball division
- 2011 Seminole Pro Tour Stop
- 2012 Wyoming Nine-ball Open
- 2013 CSI U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship[4]
- 2014 Cole Dickson Memorial
- 2015 Super 32 Ten-ball Championship
- 2015 Chinook Winds Open, ten-ball open division
- 2016 Don Coates Memorial Nine-ball Tournament
- 2016 Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
Personal life
Morris is of Chamorro–Hawaiian descent. He married his wife Rheyannon in July 2020, and they reside in Rome, Georgia.
References
- "Morris Takes League Title". AZBilliards. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
- "Rodney Morris Player Profile". InternationalPoolTour.com. International Pool Tour. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2007.
- "Rodney 'The Rocket' Morris, UPA Representative". AZBilliards. Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2007.
- "US Open 10-Ball Championship 2013 Results". AZBilliards. 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
External links
- Player Profile (IPT)
- Upcoming matches (IPT)
- Industry profile of Rodney Morris (World Pool Masters)
- Rodney Morris interview from the 2006 Mosconi Cup website
Rodney Morris in Mosconi Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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