Eric Fonoimoana

Eric Fonoimoana was a beach volleyball player who won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics alongside Dain Blanton. Fonoimoana played volleyball in college at UC Santa Barbara. He then played professionally and won at least one beach tournament every year from 1998-2004. He was a former AVP MVP in 2002.

Since his playing career ended Fonoimoana has worked as a volunteer coach in high school at the University of Southern California, and head coach at Mira Costa High School. He is an owner and coach of Elite Beach Volleyball. He has also worked as a realtor with Schneider Properties in the South Bay section of Los Angeles.

In 2000 Fonoimoana started a foundation entitled Dig for Kids, which helps inner city kids play volleyball and excel in academics. The foundation has raised over $1 million (US) for underserved youths. Fonoimoana is a member of the UC Santa Barbara Hall of Fame and was inducted into the California Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame.