Events in Sport
- May 4 61st Kentucky Derby: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 2:05
- May 8 Cincinnati Red Ernie Lombardi doubles in 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th beat Phils 15-4
- May 11 60th Preakness: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 1:58.4
- May 14 Northamptonshire County Cricket Club gains (over Somerset at Taunton by 48 runs) what proved to be their last victory for 99 matches, a record in the County Championship. Their next Championship win was not until May 29, 1939.
- May 15 MLB Pittsburgh Pirates squeak past Phillies 20-5 at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl
- May 18 English batsman Harold Gimblett scores 123 in 80 minutes on his County Cricket debut for Somerset CCC vs Essex at Frome
- May 19 NFL adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936
- May 24 1st major league night baseball game, in Cincinnati (Reds 2, Philadelphia 1)
World Record
May 25 Legendary American athlete Jesse Owens equals or breaks 4 world records in 45 minutes at a Big Ten meet at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan; remembered as "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport"
- May 30 Philadelphia pitcher Jim Bivin retires Babe Ruth on an infield grounder in "the Babe's" final MLB at-bat; Ruth plays just 1 inning in Boston Braves, 11-6 loss to Phillies at the Baker Bowl
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Kelly Petillo accompanied by riding mechanic Jimmy Dunham win; Pete DePaolo becomes first to win race separately as a driver (1925) and owner
Birthdays in Sport
Luis Suárez Miramontes
May 2 Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager regarded as one of Spain's greatest players, born in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
- May 8 Jack Charlton, English soccer defender (35 caps; World Cup 1966; Leeds United) and manager (Middlesborough, Sheffield Wed, Newcastle, Rep of Ireland), born in Ashington, England (d. 2020)
- May 12 Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Edmonton, Alberta
- May 15 Ted Dexter, English cricket all-rounder and captain (62 Tests, 4,502 runs @ 47.89, 9 x 100s, 66 wickets; Sussex), born in Milan, Italy (d. 2021)
- May 15 Don Bragg, American pole vaulter (Olympic gold, 1960), born in Penns Grove, New Jersey (d. 2019)
- May 16 Yvon Douis, French soccer striker (20 caps; Lille, Le Havre, Monaco, Cannes), born in Les Andelys, France (d. 2021)
- May 16 Jimmy LIndley, English jockey (2,000 Guineas 1963, 66; St Leger 1964) and broadcaster (BBC), born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, England (d. 2022)
- May 21 Johnny Majors, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (All American 1956; U of Tennessee) and coach (Iowa State; National C'ship 1976, Pittsburgh; Tennessee), born in Lynchburg, Tennessee (d. 2020)
- May 22 Ron Piché, Quebec baseball player (Milwaukee Braves), born in Verdun, Quebec, Canada (d. 2011)
- May 25 Cookie Gilchrist, American football fullback (AFL All Star 1962-65; AFL MVP 1962; CFL All Star 1956-60), born in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania (d. 2011)
- May 30 Bill Mallory, College Football coach (Miami, Colorado, Northern Illinois, Indiana), born in Sandusky, Ohio (d. 2018)
- May 31 Bruce Bolton, cricketer (two Tests NZ v England 1959)
Deaths in Sport
- May 1 Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (Tour de France 1923), dies of a gunshot wound at 46
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