Events in Sport
- May 2 79th Kentucky Derby: Hank Moreno aboard Dark Star wins in 2:02
- May 6 MLB St. Louis Browns Alva "Bobo" Holloman, in his first start game as starting pitcher, no-hits visiting Philadelphia A's, 6-0
Baseball Record
May 13 NY Giants Willie Mays & Darryl Spencer each hit 2 HRs & a triple
Boxing Title Fight
May 15 In his first world heavyweight title defence, Rocky Marciano KOs former champion Jersey Joe Walcott in the 1st round at Chicago Stadium
- May 16 Phillies Curt Simmons gives up a single, then retires next 27 in a row
- May 17 Yanks & Browns use record 41 players in a game
- May 22 Yankee Irv Noren hits into a triple-play, Yanks beat Wash 12-4
- May 23 78th Preakness: Eric Guerin aboard Native Dancer wins in 1:57.8
- May 25 Braves Max Surkont strikes out record 8 Reds in a row
- May 30 1st major league network baseball game-Cleveland 7, Chicago 2
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Labelled "Hottest 500" due to high temperatures, Bill Vukovich wins first of 2 consecutive Indy 500 victories; Carl Scarborough drops out of race, and later dies of heat prostration
French Open Men's Tennis
May 30 French Championships Men's Tennis: Ken Rosewall of Australia wins his 2nd Grand Slam title, beating American Vic Seixas 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
French Open Women's Tennis
May 30 French Championships Women's Tennis: Maureen Connolly beats fellow American Doris Hart 6-2, 6-4 for the 2nd leg of her Grand Slam
Birthdays in Sport
- May 1 Elquemedo Willett, West Indian cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, 11 wickets), born in Charlestown, Nevis
- May 2 Jamaal Wilkes, American NBA forward (Golden State-Rookie of Yr 1975), born in Berkeley, California
- May 6 Graeme Souness, Scottish soccer midfielder (54 caps; Middlesbrough FC, Liverpool FC 247 games) and manager (FA Cup: 1991–92 Liverpool; 3 x SPD Rangers), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
- May 9 Ron Jackson, baseball player
George Brett
May 15 George Brett, American Baseball Hall of Fame 3rd baseman (13 x MLB All Star; World Series 1985; AL MVP 1980; KC Royals), born in Glen Dale, West Virginia
- May 16 Rick Rhoden, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star (1976, 86; Silver Slugger Award 1984–86; LA Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, NY Yankees), born in Boynton Beach, Florida
- May 19 Shavarsh Karapetyan, Soviet Armenian finswimmer
- May 22 Cha Bum-Kun, South Korean footballer and manager, born in Hwaseong, South Korea
- May 22 Paul Mariner, English soccer striker (35 caps; Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town, Arsenal, Portsmouth) and coach (Plymouth Argyle, Toronto FC), born in Farnworth, England (d. 2021)
- May 25 D. A. Weibring Jr, American golfer (Senior Players C'ship 2008), born in Quincy Illinois
- May 25 Daniel Passarella, Argentine footballer, born in Chacabuco, Argentina
- May 25 Gaetano Scirea, Italian soccer defender (78 caps, FIFA World Cup 1982; Juventus 377 games), born in Cernusco sul Naviglio, Italy (d. 1989)
- May 26 Dan Roundfield, American basketball forward (3-time NBA All Star), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2012)
- May 29 Ranjy Nanan, West Indian cricket spin bowler (WI 1 Test; Trinidad & Tobago), born in Preysal, Trinidad
Deaths in Sport
- May 7 Ormy Pearse, South African cricketer (55 runs & 3 wkts in 3 Tests for S Af), dies at 68
- May 18 Tom Killick, English cricketer (at the crease 2 Tests for Eng 1929), dies at 69
- May 27 Jesse Burkett, American Baseball Hall of Fame left fielder (NL batting champion 1895-96, 1901; 240 hits in 1896 MLB record for 15 years), dies at 84
