Nominations for The Post's second annual Liberty Medal Awards are pouring in, with New Yorkers looking to honor the unsung heroes of the city.

Today, we introduce a few of the nominees who have already made New York a better place through their selfless actions and unflagging dedication.

When Paul "Doc" Nicelli got kicked out of PS 59 in Manhattan more than four decades ago, he didn't know it was one of the best things that would ever happen to him.

Tossed for constantly getting in fistfights with other students, Nicelli, 64, used the experience to change his life and give positively to the youth of New York City.

"I was always fighting over something - it could have gone either way for me," Nicelli says.

Nicelli turned his life around at the old Madison Square Boys and Girls Club on Madison Avenue, where he became a notable city hoops player.

Nicelli eventually finished both high school and college and enlisted in the Army. After he was honorably discharged, he came back to New York, received his master's degree in social work from Fordham University and took a night job working for the city as a gym director.

This led to Nicelli forming his own youth group called Student Athletes Inc., a program that help kids earn athletic scholarships and offers tutoring services and assistance with tuition.

"I knew that the Boys and Girls club had straightened me out, so I took the job as a gym director and eventually formed my own basketball association to turn others around," Nicelli says.

In addition to his year-round basketball program, Nicelli spent years as a social worker employed by the Human Resources Administration, finally retiring after 30 years. He has helped hundreds of youths earn college scholarships - even reaching into his own pockets to help when necessary.

Rich Kosik, a Student Athletes board member and friend of Nicelli's, first got involved with him 15 years ago through work with Student Athletes.

Kosik has nominated Nicelli for the Post's Community Medal Liberty Award for his work with kids.