May heads up Baker wrestling

BALDWIN CITY — A veteran Missouri and Nevada wrestling coach has been named to head Baker University’s first wrestling program in the school’s 150-year history.

Jimmy May of Las Vegas, Nev., was selected following a national search, according to Baker Athletic Director Dan Harris. May will be responsible for developing the Baker wrestling program which is slated to begin competition in 2009.

“I believe Coach May is the right person to help us develop a solid and respected wrestling program from its inception,” Baker President Pat Long said.

Harris said, “Jimmy May comes to us with legendary status and a level of energy that could turn our program into a contender quickly. He has a passion for the sport that is contagious and he creates an environment of success using a sound coaching philosophy.”

May has served the Clark County School District from 1977 to 2008 as athletic director, dean, teacher and coach.  

 He has been coaching in the Nevada high school system for 32 years, along with a two-year stint as an assistant wrestling coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  

As a head wrestling coach at Eldorado High School, May’s teams won 18 (4A) regional championships and 12 (4A) Nevada State Championships.          During his tenure, he coached 63 individual state champions and 19 high school All-Americans.

His historic run of state championships has been highlighted as the “Dynasty in the Desert” and the wrestling facility at Eldorado High School is named in his honor.              He received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

May said that being the founding coach of a new program is a great opportunity.  

 “It has been a lifelong goal to be a college head wrestling coach and I want to make Baldwin City my new home. There are many new chapters left to write about my life and this opportunity will be one of the most exciting for me,” he said.

May is a cum laude graduate from the University of Central Missouri and earned his master’s degree from the University of Nevada.

While competing in wrestling at UCM, he was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler and a member of the UCM Wrestling Hall of Fame.