Amleto Monacelli

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Amleto Monacelli (b. August 27, 1961) of Barquisemeto, Venezuela, is a renowned ten-pin bowler and owner of 19 titles on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour.

[edit] PBA Career

Monacelli joined the PBA in 1982, and he won his first tour event in the 1987 Japan Cup. In the 1989 season he won two titles, including the Touring Players Championship, on his way to winning the Harry Smith Points Leader and PBA Player of the Year awards. This marked the first time an international player had won PBA Player of the Year honors. (In 2004, Mika Koivuniemi of Finland became the second international player to earn this distinction.) Monacelli repeated as Player of the Year in 1990, a year in which he also won the George Young High Average award.

Monacelli won his last PBA title in 2005. His 19 total titles place him 14th on the all-time list. He is currently seventh on the all-time money list with $2,081,074 (U.S.) in PBA Tour earnings.

The PBA recognized Monacelli in 1997 by inducting him into the PBA Hall of Fame, making him the only international player so honored. In a 1999 edition of El Nacional, a Venezuelan newspaper, Monacelli was ranked as the fourth best Venezuelan athlete of the 20th Century.

Amleto's last season on the PBA's exempt player list was 2006-07. He failed to qualify for a 2007-08 exemption.

[edit] Personal

The son of Italian and Hispanic parents, Monacelli speaks fluent Italian, Spanish, and English. He was an accomplished soccer player in his teen years, but increased his participation in bowling when his parents took ownership of a bowling center in Venezuela. By age 17, he decided to pursue bowling full-time and make it his career.

[edit] Sources

• www.pba.com, official site of the Professional Bowlers Association and Denny's PBA Tour