Bio

Jimmy May enters his 12th year on the coaching staff at Baker and his 48th year coaching overall.

May has many years of experience in the sport of wrestling. As a young athlete in Henderson, Nev., May met a wrestling coach who pushed him in the sport and helped him develop a love for something that has become a lifelong passion.

In high school, May won two Nevada state championships and was named an Amateur Wrestling News All-American. He competed in the 1971 World Team Trials and the 1972 Olympic Team Trials and earned a scholarship to Oregon State University.

After transferring to Arizona Western College, he won two NJCAA Regional championships and continued to University of Central Missouri, where he won two MIAA Conference championships.

After graduating, May spent 35 years coaching in the Clark County school district, creating one of best high school wrestling dynasties in the country at Eldorado High School. His program was named the “Dynasty in the Desert.” His team won 12 Nevada state championships and were nationally ranked as high as 7th. Coach May had a dual record of 314-20-2 and was named NWCA Regional Coach of the Year and earned the NWCA “300 Wins Award.”

A personal coaching highlight was coaching his son Danny to becoming a 4x State Placer, 3x State Finalist, and 2x State Champion

In 2000, the Las Vegas Review Journal named him the 6th Most Successful Coach in Nevada sports history. He has been inducted into four Hall of Fames with his illustrious career.

Coach May has three children, April, Danny and Heidi and three grandkids, Lincoln, Hudson and Mila.

COACHING HONORS
● Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
● Inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame
● Inducted into the NIAA Sports Hall of Fame
● Inducted into the CMSU Wrestling Hall of Fame
● Runner-up National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year, USA Wrestling magazine
● Nominated for National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year, NHSACA
● Regional Coach of the Year, National Federation of HS
● High School coaching dual record of 314-20-2
● Set Nevada record of 7 individual state champions in one season
● Snapped 87 dual match win streak of national ranked Calvary Chapel, California
● Coached the first Junior Fargo National Freestyle Champion in Nevada history
● Also coached Eldorado High School football team, earned Sunrise Champions and named Sunrise Lions All-Star Head Football Coach
● Became head coach at Baker University in 2008
● Inaugural Baker University team was 11-0 in duals until loss to University of Iowa
● Coached Baker University team ranked as high as 4th in NAIA and finished as high as 9th
● Won the prestigious Kansas Cup in only third season as a BU program
● At Baker, coached 2 NAIA national finalists, 8 All-Americans, 46 NAIA National Qualifiers
● Returned to be assistant coach for both Men’s & Women’s Baker University programs
● At BU, has coached 11 men’s All-Americans with 2 finalists, and 9 women’s All-Americans with 3 finalists