Profile of Dick Button on Famous Like Me

Richard "Dick" Button (born July 18, 1929 in Englewood, New Jersey) is an American former figure skater and current television analyst. He was a five-time world champion from 1948 to 1952 and won the Gold Medal at the 1948 and 1952 Winter Olympics. In 1949, he won the Sullivan Award as the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.

Button was the first skater to successfully land the double axel jump in competition (in 1948), as well as the first triple jump of any kind -- a triple loop -- in 1952. He also invented the flying camel spin, which was originally known as the "Button camel".

After his competitive skating career ended, Button toured with Ice Capades and Holiday on Ice, and completed a law degree at Harvard University. He has been a figure skating analyst for ABC Sports since 1962. 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.

Button was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1976.

In 1975, Button married figure skating coach Slavka Kohout, but they have since divorced.

External link

• ABC Sports biography of Dick Button

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