Skating legend Dick Button
© Eileen Blass / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) — Olympic figure skating great and commentator Dick Button has died at 95. Button’s son, Edward, said he died Thursday and did not provide a cause.
Button won two Olympic gold medals, the most accomplished men’s figure skater in history. He also was the voice of his sport and one of its greatest innovators.
His impact began after World War II. He was the first U.S. men’s champion. the youngest at age 16, Two years later, he took the title at the St. Moritz Olympics. He performed the first double axel in any competition and was the first American to win the men’s event. In 1952, while attending Harvard, he won a second gold at the Oslo Games, delivering the first triple jump in competition. A fifth world title soon followed.
