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Mark May
May, Mark (USAF)
May in 2007
No. 73     
Offensive Tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1959-11-02) November 2, 1959 (age 64)
Place of birth: Oneonta, New York
High School: Oneonta (NY)
Career information
College: Pittsburgh
NFL Draft: 1981 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20
Debuted in 1981 for the Washington Redskins
Last played in 1993 for the Phoenix Cardinals
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Games played     158
Games started     141
Fumble recoveries     5
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com
College Football Hall of Fame

Mark Eric May (born November 2, 1959) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League for thirteen seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. May played college football for the University of Pittsburgh, and earned All-American honors. He was selected in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, and Phoenix Cardinals of the NFL. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.

High school and college careers[]

At Oneonta High School in Oneonta, New York, May earned 8 varsity letters in football, basketball, and track. He was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2007.[1]

May attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he played for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team from 1977 to 1980. As a senior in 1980, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American and received the Outland Trophy as the nation's top collegiate interior lineman. As a part of the 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, he played with future NFL players Dan Marino, Jimbo Covert, Bill Maas, Hugh Green, and Tim Lewis. As a junior and senior, May did not allow even one quarterback sack.[2] He earned the nickname "May Day" for "wreaking havoc on the opposing defensive ends."[3] After his senior season, May played in the Hula Bowl and Japan Bowl all-star games.

Under the tutelage of head coach Jackie Sherrill, May and his teammates led Pitt to a 39–8–1 four-year record, which included three Top 10 finishes and four bowl games. The university retired May's jersey number (73) in 2001, and May became the eighth Pitt player to be so honored. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005, becoming the 23rd Pitt player or coach to earn the honor.[4]

In 1981, May donated $10,000 to Pitt's alumni sports fund to give back to the university.[5]

Professional career[]

The Washington Redskins drafted May with the 20th pick of the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft, and he played guard for the Redskins from 1981 to 1990. He was a member of the famed "Hogs" offensive line, which was instrumental in the Redskins' victories in Super Bowl XVII and XXII (though May was injured for Super Bowl XVII). He was named one of the 70 greatest Redskins of all time.[6] May started 115 games for the Redskins. He missed the 1990 season due to a knee injury.[7]

Following his tenure with the Redskins, May became a Plan B free agent. He signed with the San Diego Chargers, playing as Dave Richards' backup during the 1991 season.[8] He later played for the Phoenix Cardinals (1992–93) before his retirement in 1993.

For three years during the offseason, May took classes and sold cars at a Ford dealership.[9]

In 2005, he co-wrote with author and close friend Dan O'Brien Mark May's Tales from the Washington Redskins, a book detailing his experiences with the Washington Redskins.[10]

Broadcasting career[]

In 1994, May served as a color commentator for University of Pittsburgh football games for WTAE Radio in Pittsburgh.[11] In 1995, he was hired by TNT as a studio analyst on its Sunday Night Football broadcasts. In 1997, May became a game analyst for the Sunday Night Football broadcasts on TNT.[12] After TNT lost the broadcasting rights to Sunday Night Football following the 1997 season, May joined CBS Sports in 1998 as a game analyst for its NFL coverage from 1998–2001.[11]

In 2001, May joined ESPN as a football analyst and commentator on college football.[11] Along with Lou Holtz, he is currently a regular on the popular College Football Scoreboard and College Football Final as well as appearing on pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage during the season, and on College Football Live in the off-season, and offers analysis on ESPN2 and ESPNews. He was also present in the NFL Live studio throughout the entire 2007 NFL Draft. While not a regular game analyst, he does still work in the booth for games occasionally, as he did for ESPN's coverage of the 2011 Poinsettia Bowl.

Legal troubles[]

In January 1979, as a sophomore at Pitt, May was arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, inciting a riot, and making terroristic threats. May reportedly was jumping on top of parked cars, threatening police officers and encouraging a crowd of onlookers to fight the officers.[13] He was found guilty of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, while the other charges were dismissed.[14]

As a member of the Redskins, May was twice arrested for DUI. The second instance occurred in March 1990, and the first in 1985 in Arlington, Virginia.[15]

References[]

  1. "The Oneonta High School Athletic Hall of Fame / Wall of Distinction". http://www.oneontahighalumni.org/index.php?id=28.
  2. "May Reported as Outland Winner". http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4SxVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pz0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=6782,3487346&dq=mark-may+pittsburgh&hl=en.
  3. "May's Day Finally Comes". http://www.thehogs.net/content/story.php?id=465.
  4. "Pitt To Honor Mark May and The 1980 Panthers At Homecoming This Weekend". http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101705aam.html.
  5. "Sports of all sorts". http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B1wtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ydkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1515,5064453&dq=mark-may+pittsburgh+donated&hl=en.
  6. Washington Redskins
  7. "Redskins may leave May, Grimm unprotected". http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O_5NAAAAIBAJ&sjid=y4sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1738,4738031&dq=mark-may+redskins&hl=en.
  8. "FOOTBALL; Juror Is Dismissed From N.F.L. Antitrust Suit". http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/19/sports/football-juror-is-dismissed-from-nfl-antitrust-suit.html.
  9. "For Chargers' May, Might Makes It Right". http://articles.latimes.com/1991-09-20/sports/sp-2495_1_charger-offensive/3.
  10. "Mark May's Tales from the Washington Redskins". http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Mays-Tales-Washington-Redskins/dp/1596700823.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Mark May". http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/may_mark/.
  12. Turner Sports - NFL on TNT
  13. "Pitt's May Arrested". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 29, 1979. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19790129&id=ygIOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MG0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4467,3679250. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  14. United Press International (February 15, 1979). "Pitt's Mark May receives $150 fine". Beaver County Times. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=19790215&id=uawiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5rEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5197,3163149. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  15. Reading Eagle -

External links[]

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