Hey, there just isn’t much else out there right now.
Here’s a story from his pro team’s perspective.
But this recognition is for his football career from 1977 to 1980 at Pitt, not for his time in Washington. In 2001, the Panthers made Mark May just the eighth person to have their Pitt jersey retired (#73). May joins three other players in the College Hall of Fame that he played with at Pitt – Dan Marino, Hugh Green and Jim Covert. May said that it was ‘truly an honor’ to be joining his teammates in the College Hall of Fame.
Just so Redskins fans can stay clear on that point. Apparently ‘Skins fans have trouble with the concept that the players may have existed prior to becoming a Washington Redskin.
Mark May came from Oneonta, NY, so naturally the local paper has to have it’s own view.
At OHS, May was a three-sport standout. In football, he earned the nickname “May Day” because of his girth and the problems he gave defensive tackles.
May also played basketball and competed in the shot put for the track team.
Oneonta High athletic director Joe Hughes graduated a year after May and played basketball with him.
“He was a heck of a rebounder and could set one heck of a pick,” Hughes said. “If us shooting guards couldn’t get open with him on the ground, there was something wrong with us.”
May ranks ninth all-time at OHS with 355 rebounds and is 23rd with 444 points.
“He’s a good role model for anyone,” Hughes said. “He worked as hard as anybody. He didn’t have a lot growing up and was blessed with some God-given size, but he earned everything he got.”
Hughes said he also remembers May’s appetite.
“He used to live behind Kentucky Fried Chicken and we used to go over there and hang out on his roof,” Hughes said. “We’d get one bucket of chicken for him and one for everyone else.”
May is scheduled to return to Oneonta for a Hospice charity event June 22 in Cooperstown. Eddie Money will perform live at the fund-raiser and ESPN anchor Rece Davis will serve as MC.
You won’t get that kind of story from the Associated Press.
Back in Pittsburgh, a story recounting the day of the announcement for Mark May and former WVU Coach Don Nehlan.
The other story points out the talent from that Pitt team — especially on the lines — and the challenge for Coach Wannstedt. It’s a little unfair. You are never going to come close to having that kind of accumulated talent on just the lines on one team again. The nature of college football has changed so much.
The broader point, though, or at least the one I would prefer to make (and really that’s all that matters): it all starts with the lines. Pitt needs to get players for the trenches. They need to develop the talent. Getting the stud skill positions is good, important and headline grabbing, but we’ve all seen that if the lines don’t hold it just doesn’t matter.
