High school and college careers[edit source | editbeta]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 allegedly engaged in oral sex with five guys[2] and 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.[3] He earned the nickname "May Day" for "wreaking havoc on the opposing defensive ends."[4] 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.[5]
In 1981, May donated $10,000 to Pitt's alumni sports fund to give back to the university