View source for Mark May

{{Short description|American football player and broadcaster (born 1959)}}
{{distinguish|Marc May}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{pp-pc}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| image       = May, Mark (USAF).jpg
| caption     = May in 2007
| number      = 73
| position    = [[Guard (gridiron football)|Guard]]
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1959|11|2}}
| birth_place = [[Oneonta, New York]], U.S.
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 6
| weight_lb   = 288
| high_school = [[Oneonta High School|Oneonta]]
| college     = [[Pittsburgh Panthers football|Pittsburgh]]
| draftyear   = 1981
| draftround  = 1
| draftpick   = 20
| teams       = * [[Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|1981}}–{{NFL Year|1990}})
* [[San Diego Chargers]] ({{NFL Year|1991}})
* [[Arizona Cardinals|Phoenix Cardinals]] ({{NFL Year|1992}}–{{NFL Year|1993}})
| highlights  = * 2× [[Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl XVII|XVII]], [[Super Bowl XXII|XXII]])
* [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1989 Pro Bowl|1988]])
* [[Washington Redskins#90 Greatest|80 Greatest Redskins]]
* [[Outland Trophy]] (1980)
* [[Unanimous All-American]] ([[1980 College Football All-America Team|1980]])
* 2× First-team All-[[Big East Conference|East]] ([[1979 All-East football team|1979]], [[1980 All-East football team|1980]])
* [[Pittsburgh Panthers football#Retired numbers|Pittsburgh Panthers No. 73]] retired
| statlabel1  = Games played
| statvalue1  = 158
| statlabel2  = Games started
| statvalue2  = 141
| statlabel3  = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue3  = 7
| pfr         = M/MayxMar00
| CollegeHOF  = 2163
}}

'''Mark Eric May''' (born November 2, 1959) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[Guard (gridiron football)|guard]] for 13 seasons in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. May played [[college football]] for the [[Pittsburgh Panthers football|Pittsburgh Panthers]] and earned [[unanimous 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 [[Arizona Cardinals]].

May became involved in broadcasting following his retirement from the NFL in 1993. Most notably, he was employed by ESPN between 2001 and 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.elevenwarriors.com/college-football/2017/04/81933/espn-lays-off-mark-may-per-report|title=ESPN Lays Off Mark May, Per Report|date=2017-04-27|work=Eleven Warriors|access-date=2017-04-28|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://247sports.com/article/report-mark-may-among-those-laid-off-by-espn-52518190/|title=Report: Mark May among those laid off by ESPN|work=247Sports|access-date=2017-04-28}}</ref>

==Early life and college==
At Oneonta High School in [[Oneonta, New York]], May earned eight varsity letters in football, basketball, and track. He was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oneontahighalumni.org/index.php?id=28|title= The Oneonta High School Athletic Hall of Fame / Wall of Distinction}}</ref>

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 a [[List of unanimous college football All-Americans|unanimous 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]], [[Dwight Collins]], [[Rickey Jackson]], [[Russ Grimm]], [[Jimbo Covert]], [[Bill Maas]], [[Hugh Green (American football)|Hugh Green]], and [[Tim Lewis]]. As a junior and a senior, May did not allow even one [[quarterback sack]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4SxVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6782,3487346&dq=mark-may+pittsburgh&hl=en|title=May Reported as Outland Winner}}</ref> He earned the nickname "May Day" for "wreaking havoc on the opposing defensive ends."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehogs.net/content/story.php?id=465|title=May's Day Finally Comes}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101705aam.html|title= Pitt To Honor Mark May and The 1980 Panthers At Homecoming This Weekend}}</ref>

In 1981, May donated $10,000 to Pitt's alumni sports fund to give back to the university.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B1wtAAAAIBAJ&pg=1515,5064453&dq=mark-may+pittsburgh+donated&hl=en|title=Sports of all sorts}}</ref>

==Professional career==
The [[Washington Redskins]] drafted May with the 20th pick of the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft, and he played [[Guard (American football)|guard]] for the Redskins from {{NFL Year|1981}} to {{NFL Year|1990}}. He was a member of the famed "[[The Hogs (American football)|Hogs]]" offensive line, which was instrumental in the Redskins' victories in Super Bowl [[Super Bowl XVII|XVII]] and [[Super Bowl XXII|XXII]] (though May was injured for Super Bowl XVII). He was named one of the 70 greatest Redskins of all time.<ref>[http://www.redskins.com/team/history-70.jsp Washington Redskins<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014130634/http://redskins.com/team/history-70.jsp |date=2007-10-14 }}</ref> May started 115 games for the Redskins. He missed the 1990 season due to a knee injury.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O_5NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1738,4738031&dq=mark-may+redskins&hl=en|title=Redskins may leave May, Grimm unprotected}}</ref>

Following his tenure with the Redskins, May became a [[Plan B free agency|Plan B free agent]]. He signed with the [[San Diego Chargers]], playing as [[David Richards (American football)|Dave Richards]]' backup during the 1991 season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/19/sports/football-juror-is-dismissed-from-nfl-antitrust-suit.html|title= FOOTBALL; Juror Is Dismissed From N.F.L. Antitrust Suit | work=The New York Times | first=Timothy W.|last=Smith|date=June 19, 1992}}</ref> He later played for the [[Arizona Cardinals|Phoenix Cardinals]] (1992–93), where he reunited with [[Joe Bugel]], the Redskins' offensive line coach from 1981 to 1989, before his retirement in 1993.

For three years during the offseason, May took classes and sold cars at a [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] dealership.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-20-sp-2495-story.html|title= For Chargers' May, Might Makes It Right | work=Los Angeles Times | first=T.J.|last=Simers|date=September 20, 1991}}</ref>

In 1983, he co-wrote "Mark May's Hog Cookbook" which features recipes like "Hog Balls" (a mixture of pork sausage and cheddar cheese) and "Aunt Jeannette's Sweet Potato Pie." The last entry is for "Hog Quiche" (which reads, simply, "Hogs don't eat quiche").

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.<ref>{{cite book|title = Mark May's Tales from the Washington Redskins|isbn = 1596700823|last1 = May|first1 = Mark|last2 = O'Brien|first2 = Dan|year = 2005| publisher=Sports Publishing LLC |url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/markmaystalesfro0000maym}}</ref>

==Broadcasting career==
In 1994, May served as a color commentator for University of Pittsburgh football games for [[WPGP (AM)|WTAE Radio]] in Pittsburgh.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2016-07-02|title=Mark May - ESPN MediaZone|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/may_mark/|access-date=2020-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702073018/http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/may_mark/|archive-date=2016-07-02}}</ref> In 1995, he was hired by [[Turner Sports|TNT]] as a studio analyst on its ''[[TNT Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]]'' broadcasts. In 1997, May became a game analyst for the ''Sunday Night Football'' broadcasts on TNT.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/turnersports/nfl/index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010625222824/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/turnersports/nfl/index.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=June 25, 2001 | work=CNN | title=Turner Sports – NFL on TNT}}</ref> After TNT lost the broadcasting rights to ''[[NFL on TNT|Sunday Night Football]]'' following the 1997 season, May joined [[CBS Sports]] in 1998 as a game analyst for its [[NFL on CBS|NFL]] coverage from 1998 to 2001.<ref name=":0" />  He also spent the 2000 season calling [[Arena Football League]] games on the original [[The Nashville Network|TNN]] Cable Network alongside [[Eli Gold]] and [[Jill Arrington]], which culminated with the inaugural [[af2]] [[Arena Cup]] in 2000 between the [[Tennessee Valley Vipers]] and the [[Quad City Steamwheelers]].

In 2001, May joined [[ESPN]] as a football analyst and commentator on [[College Football on ESPN|college football]].<ref name="MayESPN">{{cite web|title=Mark May|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/may_mark/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702073018/http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/may_mark/|archive-date=2016-07-02}}</ref> Along with [[Lou Holtz]], he was 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 occasionally broadcast games, as he did for ESPN's coverage of the [[2011 Poinsettia Bowl]].

On June 1, 2015, ESPN announced that May would be leaving College Football Final and moved to another show on one of the other ESPN Networks. He was replaced by [[Joey Galloway]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Yoder|first=Matt|date=June 1, 2015|title=ESPN is taking Mark May off College Football Final, new trio to be named|work=AwfulAnnouncing.com|url=https://awfulannouncing.com/2015/espn-is-taking-mark-may-off-college-football-final-new-trio-to-be-named.html|access-date=December 5, 2020}}

As of September 2019, May serves as a College Football Analyst for [[KNXV-TV]], a local [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]</ref>

==Personal life==
In 2001, May resided in [[San Diego, California]] and [[Ocean City, Maryland]]. He has a wife named Kathy and two daughters, Abra and Bryce.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2001-04-05|title=CBS TV Sports Team- CBS SportsLine|url=http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/cbs/mmay.html|access-date=2020-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010405143803/http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/cbs/mmay.html|archive-date=2001-04-05}}</ref>

==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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19790129&id=tXkqAAAAIBAJ&pg=2405,4804319|title=Football Player From Pitt Held In Riot Charge|access-date=October 15, 2014|date=January 29, 1979|publisher=The Pittsburgh Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19790129&id=ygIOAAAAIBAJ&pg=4467,3679250|title=Pitt's May Arrested|access-date=July 15, 2013|date=January 29, 1979|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette}}</ref> He was found guilty of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, while the other charges were dismissed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=19790215&id=uawiAAAAIBAJ&pg=5197,3163149|title=Pitt's Mark May receives $150 fine|publisher=Beaver County Times|date=February 15, 1979|access-date=July 15, 2013|author=United Press International}}</ref>

As a member of the Redskins, May was twice arrested for [[Driving under the influence|DUI]]. The second instance occurred in March 1990, and the first in 1985 in [[Arlington, Virginia]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gv0xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HOUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4706,2756696&dq=mark-may+pittsburgh+arrest&hl=en Reading Eagle]</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://archive.today/20120630010906/http://pittsburghpanthers.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101705aam.html University of Pittsburgh article on May]

{{Outland Trophy}}
{{Walter Camp Alumni of the Year}}
{{1980 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1981 NFL draft}}
{{Washington Redskins 1981 NFL draft picks}}
{{Washington Commanders first-round draft picks}}
{{Washington Commanders greatest players}}
{{Super Bowl XVII}}
{{Super Bowl XXII}}
{{College Football Final}}
{{NFL on TNT}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Mark}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American football offensive guards]]
[[Category:American football offensive tackles]]
[[Category:College football announcers]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:ESPN people]]
[[Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:NFL announcers]]
[[Category:People from Oneonta, New York]]
[[Category:Phoenix Cardinals players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Panthers football announcers]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Panthers football players]]
[[Category:San Diego Chargers players]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins players]]