Johnny Archer
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional pool
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
player. He is nicknamed "the Scorpion" (his zodiac
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
sign is Scorpio
Scorpio
-Technology:* Scorpio , Roman artillery invented in 50 BC* Scorpio ROV, a class of submersible remotely operated vehicle, including the Scorpio II and Super Scorpio operated by the US and UK navies* Mahindra Scorpio, an Indian SUV...
, and one of his sponsors is Scorpion Cues).
On June 8, 2009, Johnny Archer was nominated to be inducted into the Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America is a governing body for cue sports in North America , the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association...
Hall of Fame.
Early days
Archer grew up with his two brothers and two sisters in Twin City, GeorgiaTwin City, Georgia
Twin City is a city in Emanuel County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,752.-History:Twin City gets its name from the combining of two adjacent cities: Graymont and Summit.-Geography:...
, and began playing pool at the age of 12.
Career
He is one of the most successful nine-ball players of the past fifteen years, having won the majority of the game's major tournaments at least once, culminating in his being named Billiards Digest Player of the Decade at the end of the 1990s. Archer is a two-time WPA World Nine-ball Champion, winning in both 1992 when he defeated Bobby Hunter, and later again in 1997 after beating Lee Kun-fangLee Kun-fang
Lee Kun-fang is a Taiwanese professional pool player. He came close to winning his first world title at the 1997 WPA World Nine-ball Championship, but the American cue artist Johnny Archer defeated him in the final match. In 1998, Lee won the International Challenge of Champions, defeating...
of Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games and Asian Para Games...
(Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
). He was also a runner-up the following year, losing in the final to Takahashi Kunihiko of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was the 1999 US Open champion, and has won over 60 professional tournaments throughout his career.
He has also been a regular on the successful US Mosconi Cup
Mosconi Cup
The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested between teams representing Europe and the USA since 1994. The trophy is named after American player Willie Mosconi, and is modeled on and compared to the Ryder Cup in golf...
team, having joined them eleven times, winning on nine of those occasions. The US's only losses with Archer in the roster came in 2002, when they were beaten 9-12 by Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, 2007, when Team USA lost 9–12, and in 2008 when Team USA lost 11-5. He has captained the American side since 2004, retaining the Cup on each occasion until the 2007 upset
2007 Mosconi Cup
The 2007 Mosconi Cup took place December 13–16, at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada....
(the 2006 event
2006 Mosconi Cup
The 2006 Mosconi Cup in nine-ball pool was played at the Rotterdam Cruise Terminal in Rotterdam, Netherlands from 7 through 10 December of that year....
was a 12–12 draw in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
with the US retaining the trophy on account of being the current holders of it).
In 2003, one of Archer's most successful years, he won tournaments such as Sudden Death Seven-ball
Sudden Death Seven-ball
Sudden Death Seven-ball was an annual pool tournament held in the United States; it was broadcast on and sponsored by ESPN. SDSB was the most notable event featuring the game of seven-ball...
and the first World Summit of Pool.
Archer also won the 2006 US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50,000 winner-take-all International Challenge of Champions
International Challenge of Champions
The International Challenge of Champions is an annual nine-ball pool tournament held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has always been broadcast on ESPN and is sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association...
by defeating Thorsten Hohmann in the finals.
In 2007, he won the Texas Hold 'Em Billiards Championship
Texas Hold 'Em Billiards Championship
The Texas Hold 'Em Billiards Championship was a short-lived pool tournament held in the US. It was promoted by Allen Hopkins Productions and Billiards International. Eight chosen players compete in this event. Like the Skins Billiards Championship, this one pits four players against each other....
. While in the 2005 event, the entire purse was awarded to the winner, in the 2007 event, the purse has been split.
The Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
television show, on September 3, 2003, pitted Archer and Jeremy Jones
Jeremy Jones
Jeremy Jones may refer to:* Jeremy Jones , snowboarder, big mountain riding, Jones Snowboards* Jeremy Jones , snowboarder, freestyle & jibbing, Burton et al.*Jeremy Jones...
against each other in an challenge match
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
in speed pool
Speed pool
Speed pool is a solitary pool game. As its name suggests, one all the pool balls on the table as quickly as possible. It can played be competitively with the aid of a stopwatch.-Rules:...
. The show had them timed against each other, to try to beat the record, which at that time stood at 1 minute 30 seconds to a full of balls and then pocket all fifteen balls, and then move to another table and do it again. Archer was the victor. The event was recorded in a warehouse in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
where other challenge matches were also taking place to beat records.
Archer has recently rejoined the staff of Inside Pool Magazine, where he writes a monthly instruction column.
For 2007, he was ranked #3 in Pool & Billiard Magazine
Titles and achievements
- 2007 Pool & Billiard Magazine Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players, #3
- 2007 Joss Northeast Nine-ball Tour Classic VIII at Turning Stone Resort and Casino
- 2006 International Challenge of ChampionsInternational Challenge of ChampionsThe International Challenge of Champions is an annual nine-ball pool tournament held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has always been broadcast on ESPN and is sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association...
winner - 2007 Texas Hold 'Em Billiards ChampionTexas Hold 'Em Billiards ChampionshipThe Texas Hold 'Em Billiards Championship was a short-lived pool tournament held in the US. It was promoted by Allen Hopkins Productions and Billiards International. Eight chosen players compete in this event. Like the Skins Billiards Championship, this one pits four players against each other....
- 2006 SML Open winner
- 2003 World Summit of Pool winner
- 2003 Brunswick Pro Players Champion
- 2003 Sudden Death Seven-ballSudden Death Seven-ballSudden Death Seven-ball was an annual pool tournament held in the United States; it was broadcast on and sponsored by ESPN. SDSB was the most notable event featuring the game of seven-ball...
winner - 2003 On Cue; Philippines vs. Rest of the World
- 2003 AZBilliards "Money List" leader
- 2000 Enjoypool.com Nine-ball Champion
- 1999 US Open Nine-ball ChampionUS Open Nine-ball ChampionshipThe U.S. Open Championships is an annual professional pool tournament that began in 1976 at Q-Master Billiards in Norfolk, Virginia. Today, it is held in the Chesapeake Conference Center, Chesapeake, Virginia...
- 1997 WPA World Nine-ball ChampionWPA World Nine-ball ChampionshipThe WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual, international, professional nine-ball pool tournament, founded in 1990, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association , and principally sponsored and organised by Matchroom Sport...
(men's division) - 1992 WPA World Nine-ball Champion (men's division)
Personal life
Archer lives in Acworth, GeorgiaAcworth, Georgia
Acworth is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,425. Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains along the southeastern banks of Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona on the Etowah River.Acworth's nickname is "The...
, and is also an avid golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er. Archer ascribes his strong pool break to playing a lot of golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, noting similarities in having the timing right and using one's whole body in the stroke. Archer also has had two children with his wife Melanie. He co-owns Marietta Billiard Club in Marietta Georgia