It's been a while since we've named a Coug of the Year. So long, in fact, that the last winner was... Tony Bennett. Let's just forget about that. Although, in fairness, he earned it.
Now it's 2011, and by popular demand, Coug of the Year is back. And I'll be the first to admit it's overdue. The timing is a little different this time around. In the past, we did Coug of the Year by the calendar year. That's a little silly when you consider January first is smack dab in the middle of basketball season (sometimes football season) and the academic year. This year we're doing it in May to properly coincide with the end of the school year... which gives us a complete picture of the recent football and basketball seasons.
To start the process, we're looking for nominations. Consider this your thread to name the Cougar player, coach or personality that is your favorite representative of WSU from the past year. There will be 16 nominees, so there's plenty of room for all the favorites: Bill Moos, Klay Thompson, Jeff Tuel, Jeshua Anderson, etc. What I'd like to see in the comments are some of the less obvious names. The people who contribute a lot to Cougar athletics but may not always get the spotlight. That could be stars of the less-heralded WSU athletic squads; it could be coaches or personalities that represent the university well on and off the court.
The comments section is open. Get your thinking caps on and nominate the Coug you'd like to see make the final bracket of 16. Voting will begin in May.