Dick Button 728326 225308740 2008-07-13T00:39:59Z Kolindigo 1879637 /* Amateur career */ clarify {{MedalTop}}<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:DickButton.48.gif|300px|Dick Button at the 1948 Winter Olympics]] --> {{MedalSport| [[Figure skating]]}} {{MedalGold | [[1948 Winter Olympics|1948 St. Moritz]] | [[Figure skating at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Men's singles]]}} {{MedalGold | [[1952 Winter Olympics|1952 Oslo]] | [[Figure skating at the 1952 Winter Olympics|Men's singles]]}} {{MedalBottom}} {{Infobox Figure skater |title= Dick Button |image= |caption= |country={{USA}} |dateofbirth= {{birth date and age|1929|7|18}} |residence= |height= |formercoach=[[Gustave Lussi]] |skating club= |retired= 1952 }} '''Richard Totten "Dick" Button''' (born [[July 18]], [[1929]] in [[Englewood, New Jersey|Englewood]], [[New Jersey]]) is an [[United States of America|American]] former [[figure skating|figure skater]] and a well-known long-time skating [[television]] analyst. ==Biography== ===Amateur career=== Dick Button was born and raised in [[Englewood, New Jersey]]. He began skating at a young age. He did not begin training seriously until the age of 12 after his father overheard him being told he would never be a good skater. <ref name="onskates">{{cite book |last=Button |first=Dick |title=Dick Button On Skates |accessdate=2007-09-06 |edition= |series= |date= |year=1955 |month= |publisher=Prentice-Hall |location=Englewood Cliffs, N.J. |language=English |id=Catalog Card No. 55-12069 | pages =40-41 }} </ref> Soon after, Button's father sent him to New York to take lessons from ice dancing coach [[Joe Carroll]]. He trained over the summer in [[Lake Placid, New York]], eventually switching on Carroll's recommendation to coach [[Gustave Lussi]], who coached Button for the rest of his career. In his first competition, the 1943 Eastern States Novice Championship, he placed second behind [[Jean Pierre Brunet]].<ref name="onskates" /> In 1944, he won the Eastern States Junior title which earned him the opportunity to compete at the National Novice Championships. He won the event. In 1945, his third year of serious skating, he won the Eastern States Senior title and the national Junior title. At this time, he was also skating [[pair skating|pairs]], and competed with [[Barbara Jones]] in Junior Pairs at the 1946 Eastern States Championships. They performed Button's singles program side by side with minor modifications and won.<ref name="onskates" /> This competition, where Button also competed as a single skater, led into the 1946 [[United States Figure Skating Championships]]. Button won the 1946 U.S. Championships at age 16, winning by a unanimous vote. According to Button, this was the first time anyone had won the men's novice, junior, and senior titles in three consecutive years.<ref name="onskates" /> This win earned Button a spot to the 1947 [[World Figure Skating Championships]]. At the 1947 Worlds, Button was second behind rival [[Hans Gerschwiler]] following the [[compulsory figures]] part of the competition, with 34.9 points separating them.<ref name="onskates" /> Button won the [[free skating]] portion, but Gerschwiler had the majority of first places from the judges, three to Button's two.<ref name="onskates" /> Button won the silver medal at his first Worlds. It was the last time he placed lower than first in competition. At the competition, Button was befriended by [[Ulrich Salchow]]. Salchow, who was disappointed when Button did not win, presented him with the first International Cup Salchow had won in 1901.<ref name="onskates" />. Button later passed on this trophy to [[John Misha Petkevich]] following the 1972 Olympics and World Championships.<ref>{{cite book |last= Petkevich |first=John Misha |authorlink=John Misha Petkevich |coauthors= |title=Figure Skating: Championship Techniques |year=1989 |publisher=Sports Illustrated |location= |isbn=1568000707 }}</ref> Button faced Gerschwiler again at the 1948 [[European Figure Skating Championships]]. Button led after figures in points, having 749 points to Gerschwiler's 747.8, but Gerschwiler led in placings, with 14 to Button's 15.<ref name="onskates" /> During the free skate, Button performed his Olympic program for the first time. He won, with 11 placings to Gerschwiler's 18.<ref name="onskates" />. Following this year, when North Americans took home the men's and ladies' titles, non-Europeans were no longer allowed to enter into the European Championships. Button is the first and only American to have won the European Championships.<ref name="onskates" /> At the [[1948 Winter Olympics]], Button led Gerschwiler by a 29.6 point lead following the figures portion of the competition, having won four of the five figures.<ref name="onskates" />. Button had been attempting the [[double axel]] jump in practice but had never landed it. In practice on the day before the free skating event, Button landed one in practice for the first time. He decided to put it into his free skate for the next day. Button landed it in competition, becoming the first skater in the world to land it in competition. Button got eight firsts and two seconds, for a total of 10 places. Gerschwiler had 23.<ref name="onskates" /> That combined with the figures results gave Button the gold medal. He became, and remains, the youngest man to win the Olympic gold in figure skating.<ref name="usoc">{{cite web |url=http://www.usoc.org/26_597.htm |title=United States Olympic Committee - Button, Richard T. (Dick) |accessdate=2007-09-06 |format= |work= }}</ref> Button went on to the 1948 World Championships, where he faced Gerschwiler for the last time. Button won the event. At the time, the U.S. Championships were held after the World Championships, and Button finished his season by defending his national title. In February 1948, Button, his coach, and his mother were in [[Prague]] to perform an exhibition. They were stranded there after the [[Communist]] uprising and had to be extracted by the [[U.S. Army]].<ref name="onskates" /> In 1949, Button won the [[James E. Sullivan Award|Sullivan Award]] as the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. He is the only male figure skater to win this award.<ref name="usoc" /> Button had intended to attend [[Yale]] beginning in the fall of 1947, but deferred a year due to the Olympics.<ref name="onskates"/> Although he had originally been assured that his skating would not be a problem as long as his grades were good, he was later informed that he could not continue competing if he wanted to attend Yale. On advice from people from the [[Skating Club of Boston]], Button applied to, and was accepted at, [[Harvard]]. Button was a full-time student at Harvard while skating competitively and graduated in 1952. Button won every competition he entered for the rest of his competitive career. He trained at the [[Skating Club of Boston]] while attending Harvard, commuting to Lake Placid during breaks. As reigning and defending champion, as well as being the first skater to perform a double axel and a flying camel, Button was under pressure to perform a new jump or spin every season. In 1949, he performed a [[double loop]]-[[double loop]] combination. In 1950, he performed the [[double loop]]-[[double loop]]-[[double loop]]. In 1951, he performed a [[double axel]]-[[double loop]] combination and a [[double axel]]-[[double axel]] sequence.<ref name="onskates" /> For the 1952 Olympics, Button and Lussi began working on a triple jump. They settled on training the triple loop. Button landed it for the first time in practice in December 1951 at the Skating Club of Boston and landed it for the first time in exhibition in [[Vienna]] following the European Championships.<ref name="onskates" /> At the [[1952 Winter Olympics]], Button had the lead after figures, with 9 first places, over [[Helmut Seibt]]. Button's point total was 1,000.2 to Seibt's 957.7.<ref name="onskates" /> During his free skate, Button landed the first triple jump to be landed in competition when he landed his triple loop.<ref name="onskates" /> He then went on to defend his titles at the World Championships and U.S. Championships. ===Professional career=== Button decided to enter [[Harvard Law School]] in the fall of 1952. Because of the time commitments, Button retired from amateur skating that year in order to focus on law school.<ref name="onskates" /> Following his retirement, Button signed on to skate with the [[Ice Capades]] during his law school vacations. Button was the first skater to successfully land the [[axel jump|double axel]] jump in competition (in 1948, although on the video it appears he did not complete the full rotation), as well as the first triple jump of any kind -- a triple [[loop jump|loop]] -- in 1952. He also invented the flying [[camel spin]], which was originally known as the "Button camel".<ref name="onskates" /> After his competitive skating career ended, Button toured with [[Ice Capades]] and [[Holiday on Ice]], and completed a law degree at [[Harvard University]].<ref name="abc">{{cite web |url=http://www.abcmedianet.com/shows05/sports/commentators/button.shtml |title=ABC SPORTS COMMENTATOR: Dick Button |accessdate=2007-09-06 |format= |work= }}</ref> After graduation, he was admitted to the bar in [[Washington, D.C.]].<ref name="usoc" /> He has been a figure skating analyst for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC Sports]] since 1962. During ABC's coverage of Olympics in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s Button became the sport's best-known analyst, well known for his frank and often caustic appraisal of skaters' performances. Although other U.S. television networks aired the Winter Olympics from the 1990s onward, Button still appeared on ABC's broadcasts of the [[U.S. Figure Skating Championships|U.S.]] and [[World Figure Skating Championships]]. During the [[Figure skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics|2006 Games]] (covered by [[NBC]]), Button appeared on loan from ABC to once again commentate on the Olympics. He won an [[Emmy Award]] in 1981 for Outstanding Sports Personality – Analyst.<ref name="abc" /> As founder of Candid Productions, he created a variety of made-for-television sports events, including the [[World Professional Figure Skating Championships]] as well as other non-skating sports events such as ''[[The Superstars|Superstars]].''<ref name="abc" /> Button was inducted into the [[World Figure Skating Hall of Fame]] in 1976, the year it was founded.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldskatingmuseum.org/Museum_HOF_Inductees.htm |title=Official Site World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame: Hall of Fame Members |accessdate=2007-09-06 |format= |work= }} </ref> In 1975, Button married figure skating coach [[Slavka Kohout]], but they later divorced. <ref>[[Scott Hamilton (figure skater)|Scott Hamilton]], ''Landing It''. ISBN 1-57566-466-6</ref> Button suffered a serious head injury on July 5, 1978 when he was one of several men randomly [[assault]]ed in [[Central Park]] by a gang of youths armed with baseball bats and tree branches in a [[gay bashing]] incident. According to reports in the [[New York Times]], Button had been jogging in the park near his home and was attacked while he was watching a dusk fireworks display. The assailants were later apprehended.<ref>[[New York Times]], July 7, 1978; July 8, 1978; July 9, 1978; July 13, 1978; July 14, 1978</ref> <ref>[http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/SkateFans/message/106545 Yahoo! Groups<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==Push Dick's Button== [[Image:Push Dick's Button.jpg|thumb|right|Push Dick's Button logo]] During the [[2006 Winter Olympics]], USA Network ran a show called [[Olympic Ice]]. A recurring segment invited viewers to send in questions and Dick Button would answer them on the air. This segment proved very popular, and ABC and ESPN have continued it, putting it into various broadcasts, most notably [[Skate America]], the [[2007 United States Figure Skating Championships]], and the [[2007 World Figure Skating Championships]]. ==Firsts== * First skater to land a [[axel jump|double axel]].<ref name="usoc" /> * First skater to land a triple jump (a [[loop jump|triple loop]])<ref name="usoc" /> * First male skater to perform the [[camel spin]] and inventor of the flying camel spin (also known as the Button Camel, after him) * Only American to win the [[European Figure Skating Championships|European title]].<ref name="onskates" /> * First American [[World Figure Skating Championships|World Champion]]. * First American to win the Olympic title in figure skating. * First and only American back-to-back Olympic champion in figure skating.<ref name="usoc" /> * First and only male skater to simultaneously hold all the following titles: [[United States Figure Skating Championships|National]], [[North American Figure Skating Championships|North American]], [[European Figure Skating Championships|European]], [[World Figure Skating Championships|Worlds]], and [[Figure skating at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Olympics]].<ref name="usoc" /> * Youngest man to win the Olympic title in figure skating (age 18).<ref name="usoc" /> ==Competitive highlights== {| class="wikitable" |- !Event/Season ! 1944 ! 1945 !1946 !1947 !1948 !1949 !1950 !1951 !1952 |- | [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Olympics]] || || | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st |- | [[World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]] || || | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st |- | [[European Figure Skating Championships|European Championships]] || || | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - |- | [[North American Figure Skating Championships|North American Championships]] || || | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | - |- | [[United States Figure Skating Championships|U.S. Championships]] | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st N. | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st J. | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st |} * N = Novice level; J = Junior level ==See also== *[[List of Olympic medalists in figure skating]] *[[European Figure Skating Championships]] ==References== <references /> ==External links== *[http://www.abcmedianet.com/shows05/sports/commentators/button.shtml ABC Sports biography of Dick Button] *[http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_597.htm Dick Button's U.S. Olympic Team bio] * [http://www.olympic.org/uk/utilities/multimedia/gallery/results_uk.asp?entid=77&MediaType=vid Olympic.org Video: Dick Button lands the first double axel] * [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/11/AR2006021101460.html Ranking the Rink] * {{imdb name|0125413|Dick Button}} ==Navigation== {{NavigationOlympicChampionsFigureSkatingMen}} {{NavigationWorldChampionsFigureSkatingMen}} {{NavigationNorthAmericanChampionsFigureSkatingMen}} {{NavigationEuropeanChampionsFigureSkatingMen}} {{NavigationUSChampionsFigureSkatingMen}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Button, Dick}} {{Persondata |NAME=Button, Dick |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Button, Richard |SHORT DESCRIPTION=United States figure skater and analyst |DATE OF BIRTH=[[July 18]], [[1929]] |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Englewood, New Jersey]] |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH= }} [[Category:1929 births]] [[Category:American figure skaters]] [[Category:American sports announcers]] [[Category:Figure skating commentators]] [[Category:Figure skaters at the 1948 Winter Olympics]] [[Category:Figure skaters at the 1952 Winter Olympics]] [[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]] [[Category:James E. Sullivan Award recipients]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Olympic figure skaters of the United States]] [[Category:People from Englewood, New Jersey]] [[Category:Sports Emmy Award winners]] [[Category:Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey]] [[Category:Winter Olympics medalists]] [[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States]] [[de:Richard Button]] [[es:Dick Button]] [[fa:دیک باتون]] [[fr:Dick Button]] [[ja:ディック・バトン]] [[fi:Dick Button]] [[tr:Dick Button]]