- May 1 Charlie O'Brien, American MLB catcher (pioneered hockey style catcher's mask; World Series 1995 Atlanta Braves), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- May 1 Steven Cauthen, American Hall of Fame jockey (Triple Crown 1978-Affirmed, Epsom Derby 1985, 87; Ascot Gold Cup 1984, 87), born in Covington, Kentucky
- May 2 Peter Doohan, Australian professional tennis player, born in Newcastle, NSW (d. 2017)
- May 3 Steve McClaren, English football manager, born in Fulford, York, England
- May 4 Luis Herrera, Colombian cyclist (Vuelta a España General classification 1987; Tour de France mountains classification 1985, 87; Giro d'Italia mountains classification 1989), born in Fusagasugá, Colombia
- May 10 Blyth Tait, New Zealand equestrian (Olympic gold Individual eventing 1996, bronze 1992), born in Whangārei, New Zealand
- May 10 Randy Cunneyworth, Canadian ice hockey left wing (Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers) and coach (Atlanta Thrashers, Montreal Canadiens), born in Etobicoke, Ontario
- May 12 Thomas Dooley, American soccer midfielder (81 caps; FC Homburg, 1. FC Kaiserslautern), born in Bechhofen, Germany
Dennis Rodman (62 years old)
May 13 American NBA forward (Chicago Bulls), born in Trenton, New Jersey
- May 14 Alain Vigneault, Canadian NHL ice hockey coach, since 1997 (New York Rangers, 2013-18; Philadelphia Flyers, 2019-present; and two other teams), born in Quebec City, Quebec
- May 20 Vaughn Jefferis, New Zealand equestrian rider (World C'ship gold 1994, 98; Olympic bronze 1996), born in Huntly, New Zealand
- May 23 Dave Babych, Edmonton, NHL defenseman (Vancouver Canucks)
- May 23 Kevin Romine, baseball player
- May 26 Stephen Pate, American golfer (6 PGA Tour titles, US Open 1988, US Masters 1990 3rd), born in Ventura, California
- May 27 Jill Sterkel, American swimmer (Olympic gold, 1976 & 1984; bronze, 1988), born in Hacienda Heights, California
- May 27 John Lugbill, Wauseon Ohio, US canoeist/kayaker (Olympic-92)
About May 1961
How Old? 62 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions