View source for Rodney Morris

{{Short description|American pool player; BCA Hall-of-Famer; U.S. nine-ball and ten-ball champion.}}
{{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              = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption          = Morris {{circa|2007}}
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|1970|11|25}}
| birth_place      = [[Anaheim]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_date       = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes}} -->
| death_place      = 
| sport country    = {{USA}}
| professional     = 1993
| game             = [[Nine-ball]], [[ten-ball]], [[eight-ball]]<!--In order of most to least activity.-->
| 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 [[United States Professional Poolplayers Association|UPA]] Pro Tour Championship
 |2013 [[List of U.S. Open pool championships#U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship|U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship]] }}
| minor wins       = <!--Too many to list here; this parameter is mostly for barely notable people without major 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          = <!-- {{URL|www.Example.com}} and leave off the "www." part if not necessary -->
| medals           = 
 {{Medal|Competition|[[World Games]]}}
 {{Medal|Bronze|[[World Games 2005|2005 Duisburg]]|[[Cue sports at the 2005 World Games|Individual]]}}
}}
'''Rodney Morris''' (born November 25, 1970, in [[Anaheim]], [[California]]) is a professional [[Pool (cue sports)|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 [[United States Professional Poolplayers Association|UPA]] Pro Tour Championship (nine-ball), and 2013 [[List of U.S. Open pool championships#U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship|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 [[Sport governing body|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 [[List of U.S. Open pool championships#U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship|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]] [[Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] in 2016.

==Personal life==
Morris is of [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]]–[[Native Hawaiians|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|Mosconi Cup MVP]] 
* 2005 [[Mosconi Cup]] 
* 2006 Andy Grubbs Memorial 9-Ball
* 2006 [[United States Professional Poolplayers Association|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 [[List of U.S. Open pool championships#U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship|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 Championship|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=[[List of U.S. Open pool championships#U.S. Open Ten-ball Championship|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]]