Olympic Artist Series, Issue #8: Dick Button

This Winter Olympic season, Ice Theatre of New York will introduce the art of dancing on ice to hundreds of young skaters, and thousands of new audience members. We cannot do this without your support. Please consider contributing to our community outreach initiatives!

And now, on to the eighth edition of our Olympic Artist Series...

Welcome to Day 8 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and Day 8 of our editorial project featuring Olympic artists in our Ice Theatre of New York family.

Aside from world-class Olympians, these artists have served as performance partners, honorees, and advocates for Ice Theatre of New York. Looking back at all these beautiful partnerships, I am overwhelmed with gratitude to have worked with skaters who perform at the highest level of both sport and artistry.

Today, I am thrilled that we are featuring the legendary Dick Button, our very first Ice Theatre of New York Lifetime Achievement honoree. 

Best wishes to all the 2026 Winter Olympic Competitors!

-Moi

This story has been adapted from our 2025 Ice Theatre of New York Gala Program by Edward Z. Epstein -  The Audio version of Edward  Z. Epstein’s current book, “FRANK & MARILYN:  The Lives, The Loves, and The Fascinating Relationship of Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe,” is now available on Audible.

Is there any name more definitively attached to the world of figure skating than that of Dick Button? Ice Theatre of New York was proud to honor him with its first ever Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

Devoted skating fans and those unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the intricate sport are generally equally familiar with the legendary Mr. Button—and for good reason. Not only did he dominate the sport for years but he also revolutionized men’s skating, breaking new ground before retiring from the competitive ice.

Born on July 18, 1929 in Englewood, New Jersey, Dick Button started figure skating as a child, and committed to serious training at the age of 12. His father sent him to Lake Placid to train under coach Gus Lussi, who would remain his mentor throughout his entire career. 

Under the tutelage of Mr. Lussi, the young skater progressed rapidly, winning his first of seven consecutive U.S. national titles at the senior level in 1946 at just 16 years old. He also competed in pair skating at the junior level.

Mr. Button made his World Figure Skating Championships debut in 1947, earning a silver medal. He went on to collect five World titles, and two Olympic gold medals in 1948 and 1952. He won his first Olympic gold in St. Moritz, Switzerland at just 18, becoming the youngest male Olympic Figure Skating champion, a record that still stands today.

A true pioneer in the sport, Dick made history by becoming the first to perform a double Axel (at the 1948 Olympic Winter Games) and a triple jump, a loop (at the 1952 Olympic Games in Oslo, Norway). He is known as the inventor of the flying camel spin, which was also called the “Button Camel”. 

In 1949, Mr. Button became the first figure skater to win the prestigious Sullivan Award for amateur athletes in the USA.

Dick Button is easily considered to be one of the most premier skaters in figure skating history. While his two Olympic Gold medals, five consecutive world championships and seven U.S. National titles were no doubt personal highlights in Dick’s storied career, it was his on-ice innovation that truly left a permanent mark on figure skating. 

Mr. Button's contribution to the sport never wavered, long after he hung up his skates. In 1960 he provided color commentary for CBS’ Olympic broadcast, and what followed was a career in broadcasting that spanned more than five decades. He was the first to win an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Sports Personality — Analyst” in 1981, and enjoyed a long and illustrious broadcasting career. In 2015, he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the first honoree in the “Sports Analyst” category.

Dick’s no holds barred commentary style was well known in the skating community, and it is likely one of the many reasons why his opinion remained so valued amongst industry insiders. He took that same matter-of-fact approach in his book, the highly acclaimed PushDick’s Button, which features a “conversational” analysis of modern figure skating.

Dick Button is a member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and Olympic Hall of Fame.  As if all of that wasn’t enough, Dick is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and he is the proud father of two children, Edward and Emily.

While we were heartbroken to lose our dear friend last year, “Dick was one of the most important figures in our sport,” remembered Scott Hamilton, the 2025 Ice Theatre of New York Lifetime Achievement Honoree. “There wasn’t a skater after Dick who wasn’t helped by him in some way.”

“Dick has been a valued friend of Ice Theatre of New York for a very long time," noted founder Moira North. "Dick was a brilliant light in our ice dance and figure skating world, and we all benefited from his perspective and wisdom!”

Thank you, Dick, for all you've done for our sport, our art, and our community!

This program is supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy C. Hochul and the New York State Legislature. ITNY is also supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and NYC Council Members Abreu, Bottcher, Powers and Marte. ITNY's Manhattan programming is funded in part by a grant from the New York City Tourism Foundation.

Additionally, ITNY receives funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Daniel & Corrine Cichy Memorial Foundation,The Lisa McGraw Figure Skating Foundation, the Will Sears Foundation, and its generous private patrons.

Photo credit Darial Sneed, ITNY Archives

Back to Top