The 2011 Bruins Nation Awards: Vote For Best Post of the Year

Hello Bruins Nation, and welcome to the Annual Bruins Nation Awards. After another year filled with joy, frustration, debate, and endless passion for all things Bruin, it seems only fitting to close the year with a look back and to highlight some of the best work that appeared on this little corner of the blogosphere in 2011.

It was a crazy year at Bruins Nation. From coordinator searches, to the ups and downs of basketball, to 2 incredible pitchers, to Women's Golf getting #107 and Women's VB getting #108, to the disappointment of the football season and the chaos that is basketball so far, to a head football coach search and an anchor of an AD that is sinking our athletics, there has been plenty to post and comment about.

These awards are about our community members. While we front pagers love our role on BN, without the entire BN readership, we are just a few Bruin fans talking to each other. With the addition of over 5,000 BN members, we are a powerful and important voice in the greater U.C.L.A. community. This is an opportunity to recognize the excellence of that community, and so only our community members are eligible for these awards.

With that in mind, I went back through every fan post and front page article in 2011. There were easily 40 or more articles that were deserving of consideration, and I wish we had a way to recognize everyone who contributed to BN this year. We really do have the best community and writers on any blog anywhere. In the end we selected 5 articles that best exemplified the passion, creativity, and dedication to what it means to be a U.C.L.A. fan.

Last year's winner can be seen here. Also, the poll for Funniest Post of 2011will be up this afternoon.

So with no further ado...

The 2011 nominees for Best Post on Bruins Nation are...

#SFatPauley: By the Students for the Students - Class of 66

When our awful AD tried to Jedi Mind Trick the students out of their rightful place along the sidelines in Pauley Pavillion, the BN Community stood up and led the charge to keep The Den where is belongs. In this post, Class of 66 reminded us that U.C.L.A. should be first and foremost about the students.

#SFatPauley - Courage and Conviction - Bruinut

This was another great article that was borne from the Students First at Pauley movement. Bruinut recounted how courage and conviction defined Coach Wooden's teachings, and although Morgan Center may have forgotten, those teachings still must apply today more than ever.

Non Sports: UCLA Comes Through In A Big Way For Our Family - Insomniacslounge

Bruins Nation is not just about sports. It is about celebrating and supporting the greatest University in the world. Everyone's favorite little bruin Tyler reminds of this. Whether its courageously beating down cancer, dancing with the song girls, being honest with the football team, or fighting through another speed bump in life as Tyler does in this post, both Tyler's and U.C.L.A.'s endless inspiration and basic goodness speaks to everyone.

Quitting - IEAngel

IEAngel took one of the all-time lows in U.C.L.A.'s history after the Arizona defeat and gave us something positive. In this post, he taught us a great lesson about the importance of leadership, the value of opportunity, and that quitting is a far greater sin than failure. It sounds a lot like something Coach would have told us that week.

Photo Blog: Sent My Voided Check, UCLA Gear, & Letter to Chancellor Block - tazmiami 11/28

When a Bruin fan is so angry and frustrated at the leadership in Morgan Center that he not only stops donating but also gives away all of his U.C.L.A. clothing, it tells you just how far gone things are. In what was a terribly painful yet telling post, tazmiami made a huge personal sacrifice that tells the administration how we all feel. His efforts earned him an audience with a Vice Chancellor, and hopefully will help get us a new AD soon.

Please click on the titles to go back and read these outstanding pieces. Then vote below for which one you felt was the Best Post on BN in 2011, and feel free to discuss in the comments below.