He is one of the most successfulnine-ball players of the 1990s and 2000s, having won the majority of the game's major tournaments at least once, culminating in his being namedBilliards Digest Player of the Decade at the end of the 1990s. Archer is a two-timeWPA World Nine-ball Champion, winning in both 1992 when he defeatedBobby Hunter, and later again in 1997 after beatingLee Kun-fang ofChinese Taipei (Taiwan). He was also a runner-up the following year, losing in the final toKunihiko Takahashi ofJapan. 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 USMosconi 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[3] and the first World Summit of Pool.[4]
TheRipley's Believe It or Not! television show, on September 3, 2003,[8] pitted Archer andJeremy Jones against each other in achallenge match inspeed 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[9] tobreak a fullrack 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 inLos Angeles where other challenge matches were also taking place to beat records.
Archer rejoined the staff ofInside Pool Magazine, where he writes a monthly instruction column.[10]
For 2007, he was ranked #3 inPool & Billiard Magazine's "Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players" poll.[11]
As of 2025 Archer still participates in local and regional tournaments. In March of 2025 he bested Matt Washington (ironically also nicknamed "Scorpion") in a 9-ball tournament in Georgia.[12]
Archer lives inAcworth, Georgia, with his two children. He's an avidgolfer, and ascribes his strong pool break to playing a lot ofgolf, noting similarities in having the timing right and using one's whole body in the stroke.[13]
^"The Survey Says...:Pool & Billiard Magazine's 22nd Annual Player and Fan Poll".Pool & Billiard Magazine. Vol. 26, no. 2.Summerville, South Carolina: Sports Publications. February 2008. p. 14.ISSN1049-2852.
United States
