View source for Ray May

{{Short description|American football player (born 1945)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| embed               = 
| name                = Ray May
| image               = May-Ray-1970.jpg
| image_size          = 
| alt                 = 
| caption             = May, {{circa}} 1970
| number              = 59, 56
| position            = [[Linebacker]]
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1945|6|4|mf=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| height_ft           = 6
| height_in           = 1
| weight_lb           = 230
| high_school         = [[Los Angeles High School|Los Angeles]]
| college             = [[USC Trojans football|USC]]
| draftyear           = 1967
| draftround          = 4
| draftpick           = 89
| pastteams           = 
* [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] ({{NFL Year|1967}}–{{NFL Year|1969}})
* [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]] ({{NFL Year|1970}}–{{NFL Year|1973}})
* [[Denver Broncos]] ({{NFL Year|1973}}–{{NFL Year|1975}})
| highlights          = 
*[[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl V|V]])
*[[NFLPA Alan Page Community Award|"Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year]] (1971)
* First-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference football teams|All-Pac-8]] ([[1966 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team|1966]])
| statlabel1 = Games played
| statvalue1 = 118
| statlabel2 = Games started
| statvalue2 = 88
| statlabel3 = Interceptions
| statvalue3 = 13
| statlabel4 = Interception yards
| statvalue4 = 183
| statlabel5 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue5 = 3
| pfr = MayxRa20
}}

'''Reginald Raymond May''' (born June 4, 1945) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[linebacker]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) from 1967 to 1975. During his career, he played for the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]], and [[Denver Broncos]]. May was a member of the Baltimore Colts' 1970 [[Super Bowl V]] winning team. He played [[college football]] at the [[USC Trojans football|University of Southern California]].

==Early life==
Ray May was born June 4, 1945, in [[Los Angeles, California]]. He attended [[Los Angeles High School]] where he starred in football and [[baseball]]. In baseball, May played first base and was named to the All-Southern League team as a senior.<ref>{{cite news |title=All-Loop Selections |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-evening-citizen-news-all-loo/152011547/ |access-date=July 25, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Evening Citizen News |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=June 12, 1966}}</ref> In football, May earned WSC All-League honorable mention honors on both offense and defense as a senior. He played [[tight end]] on offense and [[defensive end]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Coaches 1963 WSC All-League |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-van-nuys-news-and-valley-green-sheet/152012056/ |access-date=July 25, 2024 |work=The Van Nuys News and Valley Green Sheet |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=December 6, 1963}}</ref>

==College career==
May played football at the [[USC Trojans football|University of Southern California]] from 1964–1966 where he featured as a defensive end. As a senior, May and USC appeared in the [[1967 Rose Bowl]] where they were defeated by [[Purdue Boilermakers football|Purdue]] 14–13.<ref>{{cite news |title=Purdue favored in Rose Bowl |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-vanguard-purdue-favored-in-rose/152012760/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |work=Evening Vanguard |agency=UPI |date=December 31, 1966}}</ref>

==Professional career==
May was selected in the fourth round of the [[1967 NFL/AFL draft]] by the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] as the 89th overall selection.<ref name="pfr">{{Cite web |title=Ray May |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MayxRa20.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129114150/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MayxRa20.htm |archive-date=2023-01-29 |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

May spent his first three years of his career in Pittsburgh, spending the last two seasons as a starter.<ref name="pfr" />

May was traded to the [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]] prior to the [[1970 NFL season]] in exchange for [[running back]] [[Preston Pearson]] and defensive back [[Ocie Austin]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Colts Trade Pearson, Austin For May |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-colts-trade-pearson-a/152013142/ |access-date=July 25, 2024 |work=The Baltimore Sun |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=June 7, 1970}}</ref> In Baltimore, May made up part of a potent linebacking corps that included [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] member [[Ted Hendricks]] and [[All-Pro]] [[Mike Curtis (American football)|Mike Curtis]]. May was a member of the Colts team that won [[Super Bowl V]] against the [[Dallas Cowboys]] in January 1971.

Mike Curtis called May and Hendricks, "two of my favorite guys and two of our best players."<ref name=Curtis>Mike Curtis with Bill Gilbert, ''Keep Off My Turf.'' Philadelphia: J.P. Lippincott & Co., 1972; p. 17.</ref> Curtis also expressed great admiration for May as a "remarkable man" for spending "nearly all his time — and damn near all his money" raising three troubled adopted children as a bachelor.<ref name=Curtis /> May won the [[NFLPA Alan Page Community Award|"Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award]] following the 1971 season. 

May began the [[1973 NFL season]] in Baltimore, but lost his starting position to [[Stan White (linebacker)|Stan White]]. May claimed that he asked to be traded by Colts general manager [[Joe Thomas (American football executive)|Joe Thomas]]. His request was granted following week three, when May was traded to the [[Denver Broncos]] in exchange for draft considerations.<ref name="dealt">{{cite news |last1=Snyder |first1=Cameron C. |title=Ray May dealt to Broncos |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-ray-may-dealt-to-bronc/152013449/ |access-date=July 25, 2024 |work=The Baltimore Sun |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=October 4, 1973}}</ref> May remained with the Broncos until the 1975 season.

==Personal life==
May adopted several children throughout his life and ran a ranch for underprivileged youth in [[Kansas]].<ref name="dealt" />

== References ==
{{Reflist|35em}}

{{Steelers1967DraftPicks}}
{{"Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year}}
{{Super Bowl V}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Ray}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football linebackers]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Los Angeles City College alumni]]
[[Category:USC Trojans football players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players]]
[[Category:Baltimore Colts players]]
[[Category:Denver Broncos players]]