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The Little Rock Touchdown Club welcomed College Football Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion Mark May as its final guest of the 2025 season Monday at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Little Rock.
May had an outstanding collegiate career from 1977-80 at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was named a unanimous first-team All-American as a senior while also earning the Outland Trophy as the top interior offensive lineman in college football.
Playing under coach Jackie Sherrill, May finished his college career with a 39-8-1 record as the Panthers earned three top-10 final rankings and reached four bowl games. May was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Following his time at Pitt, the Washington Redskins selected May with the 20th overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft. He played nine seasons in Washington before missing the 1990 season with a knee injury.
He won two championships in Washington: Super Bowl XVII after the 1982 season and Super Bowl XXII after the 1987 season. May earned a Pro Bowl nod following the 1988 season and has been named one of the 80 greatest Redskins.
May signed with the San Diego Chargers in 1991, playing there for a year before spending the final two seasons of his professional career with Phoenix Cardinals from 1992-93. May started 141 of 158 games he played as a pro.
May, 66, immediately got into broadcasting after retiring from football and is best known for his time as an analyst for ESPN, where he worked from 2001-17. He teamed up with Lou Holtz, the former Arkansas coach (1977-83) who went on to win a national championship at Notre Dame in 1988, on the popular "College Football Scoreboard" and "College Football Final" programs.
Much like during his time in television, May offered several strong opinions on various topics during his appearance on Monday. He voiced his feelings on the Redskins changing their name to the Washington Commanders in 2022, with a stint as the Washington Football Team from 2020-21.
"It's Redskins," May said. "My Super Bowl rings say Redskins. Washington Redskins. My grandfather (was) full Seminole Indian on my mothers side. I am Native American and it doesn't bother me at all. When I asked my grandfather when he was alive when I was playing in the '80s, he said, 'No grandson, I'm very proud of you playing in the NFL.' "
May also discussed the current state of the franchise, calling Commanders Coach Dan Quinn "not a great coach, not a great culture-builder." Washington reached the NFC Championship Game last season behind quarterback Jayden Daniels, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who has battled multiple injuries as the team has struggled to a 3-8 record this season.
As the topic shifted to the University of Arkansas and its search for a new football coach, May once again offered a blunt take on the Razorbacks' program, as well as the administration.
"You're missing a leader in the athletic department," May said. "When you go and look at good teams (and) good schools that have longevity, that are up at the top year in and year out, you look at the athletic director. He's probably somebody that's established, that's been there and done it."
May called the coaching position at Arkansas "a destination job." He spoke on the advantages the Razorback program has, in that it doesn't have to compete against professional teams within the state or any other major FBS programs.
While speaking before the same club earlier in the season, UA Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek received backlash for claiming the university doesn't have the resources to compete for a national championship in a football -- a sentiment May strongly disagrees with.
"You got more billionaires in this state than Alabama or anybody else in Mississippi does," May said. "Why can't you compete? Not only compete, but be better than them. Why can't you? ... If I'm the athletic director here, I sure as heck don't come out and say in the media that 'we can't compete and we can't financially stand up to the other teams in this conference.' You don't say that."
When asked who he believes would be a good fit to lead Arkansas, May singled out UConn Coach Jim Mora as potential wild-card candidate. May cited Mora's success with the Huskies, who closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak to finish at 9-3, and his strong ties across college and professional football.
In closing, May talked about his time at ESPN and working closely with Holtz, as well as studio host Rece Davis. The trio worked together on-air for nearly a decade, with the back-and-forth debates between May and Holtz entertaining fans across the country.
"(Holtz) lives in Florida, I live in Arizona," May said. "I try to get back and stay in touch with him as much as I can. He's one of the people that's had a great influence on my life just because he's been a close friend and great person. We were like the three amigos in the studio."