Willie Lee May (November 11, 1936 – March 28, 2012) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

. Born in

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, May attended

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

, where he won seven

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

championships in the hurdles between 1957 and 1959. He won the silver medal at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. May ran 13.99 in that race and was beaten by

Lee Calhoun Lee Quincy Calhoun (February 23, 1933 – June 21, 1989) was an American athlete, a double winner of 110 m hurdles at the Olympic Games. Biography Born in Laurel, Mississippi, Lee Calhoun, representing North Carolina Central University, won t ...

, another American, who ran 13.98. After earning another silver medal at the

1963 Pan American Games The 1963 Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil. Host city selection For the first time, two cities submitted bids to host the 1963 Pan American Games that were recognized by the Pan American Sports O ...

, May decided to begin his teaching and coaching career. Willie May burst onto the Illinois Track & Field scene in 1955, leading Blue Island High School, now Eisenhower High, to an Illinois State Championship while personally collecting three gold medals in the 120-yard high hurdles, 180-yard low hurdles and in 880-yard relay - See more at: http://evanstonnow.com/story/sports/bill-smith/2012-03-29/48718/olympic-medalist-and-former-eths-athletic-director-dies#sthash.HixRMJVj.dpuf May became the head coach of the track and field team at

Evanston Township High School Evanston Township High School (ETHS) District 202, is a four-year public high school occupying a campus in Evanston, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS was established in 1883 and serves the city of Evanston ...

in 1975 and continued in that position through the 2006 season. He served as the athletic director at ETHS for 17 years, from 1983 to 2000. As a coach, May led the Wildkits to 24 consecutive

Central Suburban League The Central Suburban League is an IHSA-recognized high school extracurricular conference comprising 12 public schools located in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago. Comprising 12 relatively large high schools, it is among the larger high school ...

conference championships from 1976 to 1999, five IHSA state trophies, and one state championship (1979). Coach May has been inducted into the Indiana University Athletic Hall of Fame (2000), the Illinois Track & Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2007) and the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame (2010). He died at 75 years old of complications from amyloidosis.Smith, Bill (2012-03-29)
Olympic medalist and former ETHS athletic director dies
''Evanstown Now''. Retrieved on 2012-05-19.

References

1936 births 2012 deaths American male hurdlers American track and field coaches Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1963 Pan American Games Deaths from amyloidosis Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States People from Knoxville, Alabama Track and field athletes from Alabama Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Indiana Hoosiers men's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub