- May 3 Greg Gumbel, American sportscaster (CBS TV, WFAN), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- May 3 Norm Chow, American football coach, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- May 4 John Watson, Irish auto racer (World F1 C'ship 3rd 1982; 5 x F1 GP wins) and broadcaster (Eurosport, F1TV, BBC, BSkyb), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- May 4 Renee Powell, American golfer, broadcaster (first woman to compete in a men's golf tournament), born in East Canton, Ohio
- May 12 Leonard Baichan, West Indian cricketer (WI opener, 103 v Pakistan on debut 1975), born in Rose Hall, British Guiana
- May 15 Georges Bereta, French soccer striker (44 caps; ASSE Saint-Étienne, Olympique de Marseille), born in Saint-Étienne, France (d. 2023)
- May 17 Sinaida Turchina, USSR, team handball (Olympic gold 1976)
Reggie Jackson (77 years old)
May 18 American Baseball HOF right fielder (14 x MLB All Star; World Series 1972, 73 [MVP], 74, 77 [MVP], 78; AL MVP 1973; Oakland A's, NY Yankees,), born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania
- May 20 Bakhaavaa Buidaa, Mongolia, wrestler (Olympic silver 1972) disqualified
- May 20 Bobby Murcer, American baseball outfielder (5-time MLB All Star), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 2008)
- May 20 Craig Patrick, American NHL center and executive (USA Olympic gold 1980; GM Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup 1991-92, 2009), born in Detroit, Michigan
- May 21 David Hill, Australian TV-reporter and owner (Fox Sports)
- May 22 George Best, Northern Irish footballer (Manchester United, Northern Ireland), born in Belfast
- May 22 Howard Kendall, English footballer and football manager (Everton), born in Ryton, County Durham (d. 2015)
- May 23 David Graham, Australian golfer (PGA C'ship 1979, US Open 1981), born in Windsor, NSW
- May 24 Irina Szewińska, Polish athlete, administrator (Olympic various sprint gold 1964, 68, 76), born in Leningrad, Russia (d. 2018)
- May 24 Thomas Nordahl, Swedish soccer midfielder and manager (15 caps; Örebro), born in Norrköping, Sweden
- May 25 Irena Szewińska, Polish 200m runner (Olympic Gold 1964, 68, 76), born in Leningrad, Russian SSR, Soviet Union
- May 26 Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast (World C'ship 3 x silver, 1 x bronze 1969) and coach (World, European and Olympic competition, 294 medals), born in Rousse, Bulgaria
- May 28 Skip Jutze, American baseball player
- May 31 Steve Bucknor, Jamaican cricket umpire (record 128 Tests, 181 ODIs; FIFA referee), born in Montego Bay, Jamaica
About May 1946
How Old? 77 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions