WASHINGTON – In every season since 2003, one player on the Georgetown University football team carries the tradition and the legacy of a fallen brother on his shoulders. The Hoyas have announced that graduate student linebacker Justin Fonteneaux has been selected as the 18th recipient of the No. 35 Joe Eacobacci Memorial Jersey for the 2022 campaign.

The student-athletes chosen to wear the No. 35 jersey have been selected based on both on-field performance and a combination of skills and intangibles that have cemented Eacobacci's place in Georgetown football history.

"The No. 35 Joe Eacobacci Memorial Jersey is one of the great traditions in college football and the Hilltop," Head Coach Rob Sgarlata said. "I have had the honor to speak with the Eacobacci Family and past representatives of the No. 35 over the past year. This living memorial has evolved to embody Joe's incredible personality and spirit with the 4 for 40 journey of the 17 former No. 35's. These individuals have honored Joe's memory and added to what it means to wear the No. 35. Over the past four years, Justin Fonteneaux has epitomized Magis. He is always looking to do more in the classroom, more on the field and more in the Georgetown Community. I am confident that Justin will represent the No. 35 with pride and continue to build on the lasting legacy of this special tradition."

Fonteneaux becomes the sixth linebacker to wear the No. 35 jersey, joining Nicholas Umar (2008), Nick Parrish (2010), Sean Campbell (2013), Nick Alfieri (2014) and Wes Bowers (2019). 

"A lot of emotions and it's surreal," Fonteneaux said. "It means the world to represent this program and what it means to be a Georgetown football player but it's not about me in this moment. It's about all the guys that decided to come back to build this program and to get where we want to be. We still have work to do but we have something special."

The Texas native has played in 30 games on the Hilltop, racking up 152 total tackles, 10 of which went for a combined loss of 31 yards. Fonteneaux put forth a career year in 2021, posting 40 solo and 47 assisted tackles (87 in total). His 17 total tackles against Columbia (Sept. 25) were among the most in a single game at the FCS level last season, ranking inside the top 25 (T-24th).

"For all the guys that have come before and all the guys in that room, and like Coach said a lot of guys did deserve it, but it's all about us and this team," Fonteneaux added. "It's the best group of guys that we have this season and I'm looking forward to it."

On September 11, 2001 the Georgetown community lost former Hoya football standout Eacobacci to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. A 1996 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, he was an energy trader for the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of the North Tower. Since the 2003 season, the No. 35 has been awarded as a living memorial to the spirit and memory of Joey.