The 32nd Kentucky Sportsman of the Year winner will be announced Jan. 31, 2013, the second annual Bluegrass Sports Awards Banquet in Lexington.
The award is given by the Lexington Herald-Leader and is voted on by statewide media and the Herald-Leader.
Here is a list of potential nominees for 2012 Kentucky Sportsman of the Year
Kenneth Faried, the former Morehead State basketball star, was the 2011 Kentucky Sportsman of the Year.
Just who is eligible to win the award? Any athlete, coach or sports administrator at any level is eligible if he or she plays for a team in Kentucky, is from Kentucky, or played for a college in Kentucky.
Horses that were born in the state are also eligible. So are horse owners who are from Kentucky or who own farms in the state. Jockeys and trainers who compete regularly at tracks in the commonwealth are also eligible.
So who did I vote for? Here is my top 10 list.
10. Emma Talley - She wasn't on the nomination list, but I felt like she deserved the recognition. The former Caldwell County golfer graduated high school in the spring, then went on to make the cut at the U.S. Women's Open. Talley also advanced to the Round of 32 in the U.S. Women's Amatuer Golf Tournament. She then led top-ranked Alabama with the low score in one of their three fall matches.
9. Angel McCoughtry - The former Louisville basketball standout shined on a national and international level. She was impressive in the Olympics, helping the U.S. to the gold medal as the team's second-leading scorer. She also led her WNBA team in scoring at over 21 points a game.
8. John Calipari - The University of Kentucky basketball coach finally delivered a national championship to a starved fanbase. However, his ability to sell the program and put the team and university in the national eye through social media and regular media makes him worthy of the Sportsman title.
7. Casey Brockman - The former Calloway County standout threw for 3,729 yards and 28 touchdowns for Murray State. Despite Murray not living up to expectations this year, he still was named First Team All Ohio Valley Conference and finished sixth in the Walter Payton Award voting.
6. Larry Warford - Perhaps the best player on a really bad football team. Warford, a product of Madison Central High School in Richmond, was named Third Team Associated Press All-American, First Team All-SEC by ESPN.com, and Second Team All SEC by both the Associated Press and SEC Coaches. He is expected to be a high NFL draft pick.
5. Antonio Andrews - The former Fort Campbell standout helped put Western Kentucky football in the national spotlight and advance to the school's first-ever Division I bowl game. Andrews was named First Team All Sun-Belt Conference as both a running back and all-purpose player. His 3,161 all-purpose yards was the second-most all-time in college football behind only Barry Sanders. He was also a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award. His two-point conversion pass in overtime helped the Hilltoppers beat Kentucky.
4. Jonathon Jackson - The Mayfield High football standout led Mayfield to another Class 1A state football championship. Jackson ran for 2,229 yards and 36 touchdowns and dominated the defensive side of the football with 601 career tackles. Jackson was penalized in the Mr. Football award because he played for a small school in a small town.
3. Isaiah Canaan - What else is there to be said for Canaan? His played sparked Murray State basketball into the national spotlight that included a visit from ESPN's Dick Vitale to a game in February. The junior guard was named All-OVC, and he was named a preseason All-American for this season. However, his demeanor off the court is impressive, whether it's posing for pictures with parents and kids after games or granting interviews to reporters from a small Cadiz radio station.
2. Ty Scroggins - The football coach at Louisville Central High School guided his team to a fifth state football championship in six years. For the second straight year, he did it with injuries to key players throughout the season. Coaching in a city where Trinity and St. Xaver get most of the publicity, Scroggins has done a wonderful job at Central.
1. Anthony Davis - The Kentucky freshman led UK to their first national title in 14 years. Davis also brought home the individual hardware, winning the Wooden Award, AP Player of the Year, and SEC Male Athlete of the Year. Davis also won an Olympic Gold Medal and was the top pick in the NBA Draft.