JUNE 7, 1969

OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL PLAYER ERIC FONOIMOANA BORN– OF SAMOAN DESCENT

Born in Manhattan Beach, California (CA), Eric was “Athlete of the Year” at Mira Costa High School (MCHS) & 1987 Junior Olympics Most Valuable Player (MVP). At University (Univ.) of CA Santa Barbara (UCSB), his volleyball (VB) honors include 2-time team MVP, team captain (1992), and 2^nd team All-American. Turning professional at beach volleyball (BVB) in 1993, Eric entered over 200 tournaments & won at least one per year from 1998-2004. In 2000, he & Dain Blanton won BVB Olympic Gold. Reaching the Association of VB Professionals (AVP) finals 6 times, he won 4 titles and was AVP’s 2002 MVP. From 2103-18, Eric coached the MCHS girl’s BVBteam to 6 Interscholastic & 2 State Championships. In 2019, he became women’s BVB assistant coach at the Univ. of Southern CA. Eric also is coach/owner of Elite BVB and member of both the UCSB (2003) & CA BVB Association (2013) Halls of Fame. A real estate professional, Eric also founded the non-profit Dig for Kids.

Sources:

“Eric Fonoimoana,” Volleyball.org.  Retrieved 2/25/2023, http://volleyball.org/people/eric_fonoimoana.html

“Eric Fonoimoana-Women's Beach Volleyball Coach,” USC Athletics.  Retrieved 2/25/2023, Eric Fonoimoana - Women's Beach Volleyball Coach - USC Athletics (usctrojans.com)

Wikipedia

Photo: Jeff Kubina, 8/15/1995. Permissive Use.