Teammate to Know: Nicole Brown

In pool circles, Nicole Brown is lauded for her ability to beat the top players of the game and win tournaments. Nicole was playing for fun with her dad at age 11. She was a pro by age 15 and racked up championship wins from 1990-2003.

How she did it: Adopting the mindset, behaviors and passions of a champion is how she became one herself. That meant:

• Putting in thousands of hours of play to hone her skills
• Not giving up in the face of obstacles

Currently she’s a member of the amateur USA Pool League Chattanooga team – her first time being part of a group. The victories continue. The team won their division playoff and recently competed at the 2025 USA Pool League National Championships in Nevada.

Below she reflects on her exceptional run as a young player, when she realized she was a “master” instead of a pupil and why she infuses a champion mindset into everyday work. (Some of her answers have been edited for length and clarity). 

What about pool playing “called” to you?

 My father got me started playing pool. He was one of the best players in our local community, and he would take my sister and me with him to the local weekly tournaments he would play (in). I was 11 years old, and I loved watching him play. I wanted to play just like him.

How did you reach a high level of play? Did you train for 10,000 hours which is a benchmark for becoming great?

I put in thousands of hours playing and had my father coaching me every step of the way. I would play on our home table in the basement every day after school.

How many opponents have you “put in a pocket” or defeated?

I began my professional career in 1990 and continued to play full time thru 2003.  Over the course of my professional pool career, I have beaten every top female player in the game. The number is too many to count. But safe to say it’s in the hundreds.

At what moment did you know you were a master pool player?

The moment I realized I was a pool master, was winning my 1st Championship at age 15. The Pennsylvania State 8 Ball Championship.

It was also mentioned that one of your games was featured on ESPN. Please tell us the details

Playing for the TV cameras was always a challenge due to the lighting being extremely hot having to wait between games for commercial breaks. I was a teenager at the time, so it was a little bit intimidating to say the least. There were times while playing, cameramen would lay the camera on the rail of the table to get “The Shot”! You really must be tough mentally to block out those distractions.

Is there a pool player you look up to?

My father is my idol. A great player, my coach…. and still playing weekly at 83 years young!

What do you do for work and how does this one-of-a-kind hobby show up in what you do?

I work on the mortgage servicing side of Truist, in the Cash Operations area where I am a senior analyst. Over the course of my pool career, I was faced with many battles that taught me to be mentally tough and never give up. I apply those skills in my work routine daily - never giving up on providing the client the best possible experience.

"(Never give up) on providing the client the best possible experience." - Nicole Brown

What is your personal purpose and how does your passion connect to it?

I have always had a passion for helping people, and love seeing people succeed. I have continued this with teaching and doing pool school type clinics when I can.

On the lighter side:

What is a little-known talent that you have?

I was a champion junior bowler.

As a child, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?

 A school bus driver.