Eric is an Olympic Gold Medal winner at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia in beach volleyball. He was a dominant and consistent force on the AVP Tour for 16 years. He won at least one tournament for seven straight years between 1998 and 2004. Fonoi is a former AVP Most Valuable Player and is in the top 10 in terms of all-time tournaments played. Eric has won all the AVP major opens in beach volleyball.
A true local community activist and Manhattan Beach native, Eric has dedicated much of his winnings and time off the beach to his foundation “Dig for Kids” which helps kids in inner cities to excel in academics and volleyball. As the Founder and CEO of Dig for kids, Fonoi has raised over $ 1 million to help underserved kids. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara and was awarded the honor of Significant Sig by Sigma Chi fraternity for his successes on and off the beach.