Dick Button, the most accomplished men’s figure skater in history and one of the sport’s most pivotal figures, died on Thursday. He was 95.
The tragic news was confirmed by his his son, Edward, who did not provide a cause of death. Button won two Olympic gold medals and five consecutive world championships. His sad death comes on an already dark day for the sport.
Earlier on Thursday, it emerged that 14 members of the skating community were killed in the Washington DC plane crash, when an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.
Everyone on board was killed, including two teenage figure skaters, their mothers, and two former world champions who were coaching at the Skating Club of Boston.
Button skated for the Boston club and remained close to it for the rest of his life. The trophy room at the club is named in his honor.
Doug Zeghibe, the head of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, announced the names of the six people associated with his club who were on board.
Dick Button, the most accomplished men’s figure skater in history died on Thursday aged 95
Button won two Olympic gold medals and five consecutive world championships
He skated for the Boston club that lost six members in the Washington DC plane crash
They are: Jinna Han, Jin Han, Spencer Lane, Christine Lane, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova.
US Olympic figure skating legend Nancy Kerrigan broke down in tears as she spoke to reporters on Thursday outside the club.
Kerrigan, 55, said she had watched the news all night after learning about the tragic events that occurred on Wednesday night.
‘We’ve been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we’re strong. I guess it’s how we respond to it and my response is to be with people I care about,’ she said. ‘We just wanted to be here and be part of our community.
‘I needed support, so that’s why I’m here. It’s a shock. I was watching all night (on television) and when you find out you know some of the people on the plane it is an even bigger blow.
‘We just wish them well, the families, the courage and the strength to make the next steps.’
As an entrepreneur and broadcaster, meanwhile, Button helped transform a niche sport into the showpiece of every Winter Olympics.
‘Dick was one of the most important figures in our sport,’ Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton said. There wasn’t a skater after Dick who wasn’t helped by him in some way.’
Olympic icon Nancy Kerrigan broke down in tears as she spoke outside the Boston skating club
Button´s impact began after World War II. He was the first U.S. men’s champion – and his country’s youngest at age 16 – when that competition returned in 1946.
Two years later, he took the title at the St. Moritz Olympics, competing outdoors. He performed the first double axel in any competition and became the first American to win the men´s event.
That began his dominance of international skating, and U.S. amateur sports. He was the first figure skater to win the prestigious Sullivan Award in 1949 – no other figure skater won it until Michelle Kwan in 2001.
In 1952, while a Harvard student, he won a second gold at the Oslo Games, making more history with the first triple jump (a loop) in competition.
Soon after, he won a fifth world title, then gave up his eligibility as an amateur. All Olympic sports were subject to an amateur/professional division at the time.
‘I had achieved everything I could have dreamed of doing as a skater,’ said Button, who earned a law degree from Harvard in 1956. ‘I was able to enjoy the Ice Capades (show) and keep my hand in skating, and that was very important to me.’
