Events in Sport
- May 4 Air crash at Turin, 31 killed including Torino soccer team
- May 5 Detroit Tigers second baseman Charlie Gehringer is elected in the Baseball Hall of Fame
- May 7 75th Kentucky Derby: Steve Brooks aboard Ponder wins in 2:04.2
- May 14 74th Preakness: Ted Atkinson aboard Capot wins in 1:56
- May 28 48th Men's French Championships: Frank Parker beats Budge Patty (6-3, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4)
- May 28 48th Women's French Championships: Margaret Osborne duPont beats Nelly Adamson (7-5, 6-2)
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Bill Holland wins in 4:07:15.939 (195.257 km/h)
Golf Major
Birthdays in Sport
- May 4 John Force, American race car driver, born in Bell Gardens, California
- May 14 Klaus-Peter Thaler, German cyclist, born in Eckmannshausen, West Germany
- May 15 Wendy Pritchard, Australian women's field hockey team manager (Olympics 1996)
- May 16 Rick Reuschel, pitcher (NY Yankees)
- May 25 Lalith Kaluperuma, cricketer (two Tests for Sri Lanka 1982)
- May 26 Dan Pastorini, NFL quarterback (Houston Oilers, Raiders) [or Dec 25]
- May 28 Shelley Hamlin, San Mateo CA, LPGA golfer (1978 Patty Berg Classic)
- May 29 Brian Kidd, English footballer
- May 30 Bob Willis, cricketer (superb England fast bowler 1971-84)
- May 30 P.J. Carlesimo, American basketball coach
Deaths in Sport
- May 6 Arthur Ochse, South African cricketer (10 wickets in 3 Tests for South Africa 1927-29), dies at 49