Johnny Archer

{{Infobox pool player

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| image = File:Johnny-archer.jpg

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| caption = Johnny Archer posing with a fan, 2008

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|11|12|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Waycross, Georgia

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| sport country = {{USA}}

| nickname = "The Scorpion"

| professional = 1985

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| other wins = 100

| world champ = 9-ball (1992, 1997)

| current ranking =

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Johnny Archer (born November 12, 1968) is an American professional pool player. He is nicknamed "the Scorpion" (his zodiac sign is Scorpio). He is a two time World Nine-ball Champion & won a record 5 Sands Regency 9-Ball Open titles. In 2009, Johnny Archer was nominated to be inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.[http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?storynum=6647 "Johnny Archer, Allison Fisher Gain BCA Hall of Fame Election"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024020015/http://azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?storynum=6647 |date=October 24, 2012 }}, AzBilliards.com. Retrieved July 14, 2009

Early days

Archer grew up with his two brothers and two sisters in Twin City, Georgia, and began playing pool at the age of 12.[http://www.scorpioncues.com/scorpion_cues/johnny_archer_bio.php Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304022752/http://www.scorpioncues.com/scorpion_cues/johnny_archer_bio.php |date=March 4, 2012 }}, scorpionCues.com. Retrieved June 7, 2008

Career

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He is one of the most successful nine-ball players of the 1990s and 2000s, 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-fang of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan). He was also a runner-up the following year, losing in the final to Kunihiko Takahashi of Japan. He was the 1999 US Open champion, and has won over 100 professional tournaments throughout his career.

He has also been a regular on the US Mosconi Cup team, having joined them a record seventeen times, winning on nine of those occasions.

In 2003, one of Archer's most successful years, he won tournaments such as Sudden Death Seven-ball{{cite web |url=http://www.insidepool.com/article460.html?POSTNUKESID=aa4464dc94636729657f0440f019861e |title=Archer Wins Sudden Death 7-Ball |publisher=InsidePOOL.com |date=2003-10-01 |access-date=2008-08-25}} and the first World Summit of Pool.{{cite web |url=http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?id=1305 |title=Archer wins World Summit of Pool |publisher=AzBilliards.com |date=2003-10-12 |access-date=2008-08-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315171402/http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?id=1305 |archive-date=March 15, 2009 |df=mdy-all}}

Archer also won the 2006 International Challenge of Champions by defeating Thorsten Hohmann in the finals.{{cite web |url=http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?id=3702 |title=Archer Wins Challenge of Champions |publisher=AzBilliards.com |access-date=2008-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315171409/http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?id=3702 |archive-date=March 15, 2009 |df=mdy-all}}

In 2007, he won the Texas Hold 'Em Billiards Championship. While in the 2005 event the entire purse was awarded to the winner, in the 2007 event the purse was split.[http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.cfm?storynum=3258 "2005 Texas Hold'em Billiards Shootout"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202154423/http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.cfm?storynum=3258 |date=February 2, 2007 }}, at AZBilliards[http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.cfm?storynum=4146 "Johnny Archer Wins 2007 Texas Hold Em Billiards"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218165331/http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.cfm?storynum=4146 |date=February 18, 2007 }}, at AZBilliards

The Ripley's Believe It or Not! television show, on September 3, 2003,[http://www.tv.com/ripleys-believe-it-or-not!/show/10278/episode_guide.html&season=4 Episode 418] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201152812/http://www.tv.com/ripleys-believe-it-or-not%21/show/10278/episode_guide.html%26season%3D4 |date=February 1, 2008 }}, www.TV.com. Retrieved August 5, 2007 pitted Archer and Jeremy Jones against each other in a challenge match in speed pool. The show had them timed against each other, to try to beat the record, which at that time stood at 1 minute 30 seconds[http://www.johnnyarcher.net/previousnews.html Previous News], JohnnyArcher.net. Retrieved August 5, 2007 to {{Cuegloss|Break|break}} a full {{Cuegloss|Rack|rack}} 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 where other challenge matches were also taking place to beat records.

Archer rejoined the staff of Inside Pool Magazine, where he writes a monthly instruction column.[http://www.insidepoolmag.com/pool-and-billiard-instruction/billiard-and-pool-instruction.html "Johnny Archer Billiards Instruction"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817000940/http://www.insidepoolmag.com/pool-and-billiard-instruction/billiard-and-pool-instruction.html |date=August 17, 2007 }}, InsidePoolMagazine.com.

For 2007, he was ranked #3 in Pool & Billiard Magazine's "Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players" poll.{{Cite magazine |title=The Survey Says...: Pool & Billiard Magazine's 22nd Annual Player and Fan Poll |magazine=Pool & Billiard Magazine |date=February 2008 |volume=26 |issue=2 |issn=1049-2852 |publisher=Sports Publications |location=Summerville, South Carolina |page=14}}

Personal life

Archer lives in Acworth, Georgia, with his two children. He's an avid golfer, and ascribes his strong pool break to playing a lot of golf, noting similarities in having the timing right and using one's whole body in the stroke.[http://www.azbilliards.com/interviews/archer1.html Archer Interview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620173823/http://azbilliards.com/interviews/archer1.html |date=June 20, 2007 }}, October 2, 1999, AzBilliards.com. Retrieved August 5, 2007