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Figure Skating History—Legends: Dick Button (The Early Years)

The first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating was Dick Button. He took the prize at the 1948 Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and repeated as champion at the 1952 Olympics in Oslo, Norway. Button also captured seven U.S. national figure skating titles (1946-52)—the first at age 16— and five world figure skating titles (1948-52). He also was the European figure skating champion in 1948, the last year in which U.S. skaters were allowed to compete.

Early in his career, Button received the message that he had the wrong body type to become a successful figure skater. This mindset changed under coach Gustav Lussi, who both literally and figuratively pushed Button to greater heights. Button's Axel jumps sailed 20 feet through the air. Pictures of Button figure skating outdoors look as though he soared above the trees.

Button introduced many movements to the figure skating, including the flying camel. In 1948, he became the first skater to perform a double Axel. He performed figure skating's first triple jump in 1952 when he successfully landed a trip loop. Button was the first figure skater to ever receive the prestigious Sullivan Award for amateur sports. Button is also a graduate of Harvard University—Yale would not make the allowances needed for Button to pursue both figure skating and a university degree at the same time. When the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame inducted their first members in 1976, Button entered both.

—Beth Braccio Hering

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