- 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 (70 years old)
May 15 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, born in Kirovakan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union
- 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 Championship 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
- May 30 Peter Townend, Australian surfer (first IPS/ASP World Champion 1976; International Surfing HOF), born in Coolangatta, Australia
About May 1953
How Old? 70 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions