- May 2 Jack Crawford, English cricket all-rounder (12 Tests; Surrey, South Australia, Otago), dies at 76
- May 10 Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, American NFL football defensive lineman, 1953-62 (Baltimore Colts, and two other teams), and professional wrestler, dies of a heroin overdose at 31
- May 12 Robert Kerr, Canadian runner (1908 Olympics), dies at 80
Ernie Davis (1939-1963)
May 18 American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (1st African-American to win Heisman Trophy 1961, Syracuse), dies of leukemia at 23
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions