Events in Sport
Sports History
May 13 Reggie Jackson is 1st major leaguer to strike out 2,000 times
Boxing Title Fight
May 20 American heavyweight boxer Larry Holmes beats countryman Tim Witherspoon by split decision to retain his WBC title at the Dunes Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
Boxing Title Fight
May 20 Michael Dokes & Mike Weaver fight to a draw in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
Sports History
May 20 MLB Philadelphia Phillies Steve Carlton passes W Johnson with 2nd most strike outs
- May 21 108th Preakness: Donald Miller Jr on Deputed Testamony wins in 1:55.4
- May 22 Toronto Blue Jay Cliff Johnson hits record 18th pinch hit HR
- May 25 Kirk Gibson (Tigers) & Jorge Orta (Blue Jays) hit inside park HRs
- May 25 27th European Cup: Hamburg beats Juventus 1-0 at Athens
- May 26 29th Walker Cup: US, 13½ - 10½
- May 26 LA Lakers set NBA playoff game record of fewest free throws
- May 29 Yuri Dumchev of USSR throws discus a record 71.86 m
- May 29 Indianapolis 500: Tom Sneva wins his first Indy 500; represents record 7th Indy victory for chief mechanic George Bignotti
Sports History
May 30 AL President Lee MacPhail suspends Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for one week, for his public criticism of umpires
- May 31 37th NBA Championship: Philadelphia 76ers sweep LA Lakers in 4 games
Birthdays in Sport
- May 1 Alain Bernard, French swimmer (Olympic gold 100m freestyle 2008, 4x100 freestyle relay 2012), born in Aubagne, France
- May 3 Joseph Addai, American football player, born in Houston, Texas
- May 3 Romeo Castelen, Dutch footballer, born in Paramaribo, Suriname
- May 3 Márton Fülöp, Hungarian footballer and goalkeeper, born in Budapest (d. 2015)
- May 4 Derek Roy, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Rockland, Ontario
- May 6 Dani Alves da Silva, Brazilian football player (Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil national team), born in Juazeiro, Brazil
- May 9 Tyler Lumsden, American baseball player
- May 9 Gilles Müller, Luxembourgian tennis player
- May 11 Frédéric Xhonneux, Belgian decathlete
- May 11 Matt Leinart, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 2004, USC; NFL: Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans) and broadcaster (Fox Sports), born in Santa Ana, California
- May 12 Charilaos Pappas, Greek footballer, born in Kavala, Greece
- May 13 Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer (Barcelona), born in Bouaké, Ivory Coast
- May 16 Kyle Wellwood, Canadian ice hockey player
- May 17 Nicky Hofs, Dutch footballer
- May 17 Channing Frye, American basketball player
- May 17 Jeremy Sowers, American baseball player
- May 18 Gary O'Neil, English footballer (Portsmouth), born in Beckenham, England
- May 18 Vince Young, American football player, born in Houston, Texas
- May 22 John Hopkins, Anglo-American motorcycling racer
- May 27 Bobby Convey, American soccer player
- May 28 Steve Cronin, American soccer goalkeeper
- May 28 Humberto Sanchez, Dominican baseball player
Deaths in Sport
- May 2 Norm Van Brocklin, American Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (NFL MVP 1960; First-team All-Pro 1960; 9 × Pro Bowl; LA Rams, Philadelphia Eagles) and coach (Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons), dies from a heart attack at 57
- May 5 Olin Dutra, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1932, US Open 1934), dies at 82
- May 20 Clair Bee, American College Basketball and Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Long Island University undefeated 1936, 39; National Invitation Tournament 1939, 41), dies at 87
- May 25 Black Jack Stewart, Canadian NHL hockey player (b. 1917)
Jack Dempsey
May 31 Jack Dempsey, American boxer (world heavyweight champion 1919-26), dies of heart failure at 86