Amleto Monacelli (born August 27, 1961) of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, is a renowned ten-pin bowler and winner of 19 titles on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour.
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Monacelli joined the PBA in 1982, and he won his first tour event in the 1987 Japan Cup. Amleto's style typified that of the modernizing game of bowling, as he was one of the first bowlers to successfully use the powerful cranker-style release. In the 1989 season he won four 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 has won over $2.1 million (U.S.) on the PBA Tour, making him one of only seven PBA bowlers in history to surpass $2 million in career earnings. He was ranked #21 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years," and has rolled 48 perfect 300 games in PBA Tour events.
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. He was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 2012.[1]
Monacelli failed to qualify for a PBA exemption in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, but regained his exemption for 2009-10. His most recent TV finals appearance was as a semifinalist in the 2009-10 PBA Chameleon Championship. A forearm injury led to a disappointing 142 score and a loss in his opening match.[2]
Monacelli participated on the PBA Tour in 2010-11 as a non-exempt player, and did well enough in points to regain exempt status for the 2011-12 season.
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.