Rodney Morris

{{Short description|American pool player (b. 1970)}} {{Use American English|date=December 2023}} {{Use MDY dates|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox pool player | name = Rodney Morris | honorific_suffix = | nickname = "The Rocket" | image = Rodney Morris.JPG | image_size = | alt =  | caption = Morris {{circa|2007}} | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|11|25}} | birth_place = Anaheim, California, U.S. | death_date =  | death_place = | sport_country = {{USA}} | professional = 1993 | game = Nine-ball, ten-ball, eight-ball | best_finish = Semi-finals, 2005 WPA World Nine-ball Championship | major_wins = {{unbulleted list |1996 U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship |2003 World Pool League |2006 UPA Pro Tour Championship |2013 U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship }} | minor_wins =  | other_wins = {{unbulleted list |'''Doubles:''' 2008 World Cup of Pool (with Shane Van Boening) |'''Team:''' 2003, 2004 ({{abbr|MVP|most valuable player}}), 2005 Mosconi Cup (with Team USA) }} | world_champ = | website =  | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Competition|World Games}} {{Medal|Bronze|2005 Duisburg|Individual}} }} '''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 {{cuegloss|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 {{abbr|MVP|most valuable player}} in 2004.

==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.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?id=1348 |title=Morris Takes League Title |work=AZBilliards |access-date=August 14, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110613202554/http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?id=1348 |archive-date=June 13, 2011}}</ref>

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),<ref>{{cite web |url= http://internationalpooltour.com/ipt_content/ipt_players/bio/Morris_Rodney.asp |title=Rodney Morris Player Profile |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080504063445/http://www.internationalpooltour.com/ipt_content/ipt_players/bio/Morris_Rodney.asp |archive-date=May 4, 2008 |work=InternationalPoolTour.com |access-date=August 3, 2007 |url-status= usurped |publisher=International Pool Tour}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.cfm?storynum=4524 |title=Rodney 'The Rocket' Morris, UPA Representative |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071219203230/http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.cfm?storynum=4524 |archive-date=December 19, 2007 |work=AZBilliards |access-date=August 3, 2007}}</ref>

In 2008, Rodney and Shane Van Boening won the World Cup of Pool {{cuegloss|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,<ref name="AZB 10-ball 2023">{{cite web |url= https://www.azbilliards.com/tournament/5073-us-open-10-ball-championship-2013/?action=results |title=US Open 10-Ball Championship 2013 Results |date=2013 |work=AZBilliards |access-date=February 28, 2021}}</ref> 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.

==Personal life== Morris is of Chamorro–Hawaiian descent. He married his wife Rheyannon in July 2020, and they reside in Rome, Georgia.

==Titles & Achievements== * 1994 Capital City Nine-ball Open * 1996 PBT Grand Prix de Puerto Rico * 1996 U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship * 2001 Sands Regency Nine-ball Open * 2002 Hard Times 9-Ball Open * 2003 World Pool League * 2003 Mosconi Cup * 2004 Breakers Open 9-Ball * 2004 Sands Regency Nine-ball Open * 2004 Seminole Florida Pro Tour Stop * 2004 Corpus Christi Classic * 2004 Houston Open 9-Ball * 2004 World All Stars Invitational Team Cup * 2004 Mosconi Cup * 2004 Mosconi Cup MVP * 2005 Mosconi Cup * 2006 Andy Grubbs Memorial 9-Ball * 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 9-Ball * 2011 Seminole Pro Tour Stop * 2012 Wyoming Nine-ball Open * 2013 CSI U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship<ref name="AZB 10-ball 2023" /> * 2014 Cole Dickson Memorial * 2015 Super 32 Ten-ball Championship * 2015 Chinook Winds Open Ten-ball * 2016 Don Coates Memorial 9-Ball * 2016 Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130126143733/http://www.internationalpooltour.com/Players/Bio_Morris_Rodney.aspx Player Profile]}} (IPT) * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080216150643/http://www.internationalpooltour.com/players/spotlight_morris.aspx Upcoming matches]}} (IPT) * [http://www.worldpoolmasters.com/players/morris.asp Industry profile of Rodney Morris] (World Pool Masters) * [http://www.mosconicup.com/article_detail.asp?article_id=7 Rodney Morris interview] from the 2006 Mosconi Cup website

{{s-start}} {{succession box |before=Reed Pierce|title=U.S. Open Nine-ball Champion|after=Earl Strickland|years=1996}} {{s-end}} {{s-start}} {{succession box |before=Efren Reyes|title=World Pool League champion|after=Francisco Bustamante|years=2003}} {{s-end}} {{s-start}} {{succession box |before=Dennis Orcollo|title=U.S. Open Ten-ball Champion|after=Ko Pin-yi|years=2013}} {{s-end}} {{Navboxes |title=Rodney Morris in Mosconi Cup |list1= {{2003 United States Mosconi Cup team}} {{2004 United States Mosconi Cup team}} {{2005 United States Mosconi Cup team}} {{2006 United States Mosconi Cup team}} {{2007 United States Mosconi Cup team}} {{2008 United States Mosconi Cup team}} {{2010 United States Mosconi Cup team}} {{2011 United States Mosconi Cup team}} {{2013 United States Mosconi Cup team}} {{2016 United States Mosconi Cup team}} }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Rodney}} Category:American pool players Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:World Games bronze medalists for the United States Category:World Games medalists in cue sports Category:Medalists at the 2005 World Games