Jeff Hagees was once a designer of missile propulsion systems for a defence contractor. To cope with the stress of his job, he turned to gamble, losing thousands in pool rooms. Jeff Hagees was a professional pool player born in Duluth, Minnesota who had a gambling problem. He started gambling as a way to get his mind off of his job as a defence contractor and missile propulsion engineer for the Department of Defense, but quickly found himself owing thousands to pool sharks. Eventually, he was fired because his employer was worried he would sell their secrets to pay his debts despite having no proof that he did anything. Penniless and still owing the sharks, Hagees became 8-Ball to steal the money he owed, combining his pool and engineering interests to start his own organized crime business that went on a spree in New York.