The W Athletics Hall of Fame
Doug May has dedicated his adult life to the care and prevention of injuries to student-athletes, including acting as the architect of The W’s - then known as Mississippi State College for Women (MSCW) – first-ever athletic training program. May taught faculty and students on the topic and, eventually, became the Blues' first-ever professional athletic trainer.
May was, in all ways, a pioneer for The W Athletics. Prior to his involvement, MSCW’s methodology for treating athletic injuries fell on the nurses of the student health center and the coaching staff. With no dedicated athletic training facilities, it was not uncommon for student-athletes to receive care in hallways or their coach’s office.
But May – who would go on to a long and illustrious athletic training career after The W – would be the change-maker for all that. May began his relationship with MSCW in 1973-74 by teaching a mini-course in athletic training at The W, while he was still the athletic trainer right up the road at Mississippi State University.
In 1978, MSCW would hire May as its first National Athletic Trainer Association (NATA) certified professional for the athletics program. A proper training room was built in the original Pohl Gym and stocked with appropriate equipment and materials to care for the Blues’ student-athletes.
May continued in the position until 1981, when recession-forced budget cuts saw the athletic trainer position eliminated at MSCW. While May moved on in his profession, the school was fortunate that the groundwork he had accomplished in his tenure made it possible for MSCW’s student-athletes to continue receiving some of the care they needed during those lean years.
May's influence on the profession was on a national scale. He was heavily involved in the NATA, even serving as the organization's vice president and as a member of its Board of Directors. Likewise, his work has extended to numerous national and international competitions. Some of the experiences – many well known in the athletics world - that dot May’s resume include: The Governor’s Council of Physical Fitness and Sports of Mississippi (1980-83), USOC Training Center (1979), US Olympic Festival (1990), the World Winter University Game (1991), the Pan American Game (1991), U.S. Olympic Committee out of competition drug testing (1995-99), 1996 Olympic Games (track and field), the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (1999-2001), and a gameday assistant with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons (1997-2006), to name but a few.
“Doug May is respected and very well-renowned in the athletic training field,” Shonna Ford Beckwith (class of 1983) said in nominating May for The W HOF. “He was an outstanding athletic trainer at MUW for many years, providing the most excellent evaluation, rehabilitation, equipment, preventative, and injury care to the athletes at MUW. He taught our staff with compassion, patience, high expectations, humor, and enthusiasm.
“He taught us to use the best techniques and modalities in the field and brilliantly invented new ones, as well. He was instrumental in getting so many sick and injured players, dancers, gymnasts, and faculty members back into action. With his expert physical, mental, and spiritual care, he assisted our softball team in winning the State Championship against Ole Miss.”
A lifetime of putting others first – including hundreds of members of the Blues’ athletics teams – is why Doug May was honored by The W Athletics Hall of Fame. His are, quite literally, the shoulders on which those responsible for the care of today’s Owls’ student-athletes stand.
