Dick Button’s personal skating collection up for auction

[A.H.Black]

He is the nicest man. I had the kids in the skating club sign a card for him. A lot of the littles didnt know who he was as he was way before their time. Ummm...2x OGM, 5x World Champion, first double axel, first triple jump, inventer of the flying camel aka originally the Button Camel, shall I go on? said yours truly.

I always go on to say that Dick didn't win the first competition his was in or the first Worlds he entered (2nd). Every other competition he ever entered - He won! I don't know of any athlete that has that kind of record.

 

[aftershocks]

Here's the video tribute TSL put together, after asking for help from skaters and fans:

Dick Button: 90 Years of Figure Skating Excellence

Dick Button is unquestionably the most influential figure skater of all time. The two-time Olympic Champion landed the first double axel and triple loop in c...

www.youtube.com

It's a fair look back that memorably includes many famous Dick Buttonisms, as well as covering some of Dick's career. It's like a walk through fs history (mainly U.S. figure skating history, although there is inclusion of international skaters at Worlds and Olympics comps). There are a lot of very special moments in the compilation tribute, especially Dick's famous 'dressing down the ISU' speech/ rant, which comes toward the very end. Overall, the video is obviously quickly put together, and could use more editing, polishing and balancing of how it's put together. But still, it's a lovely tribute to Dick. It's nice to see something special being done in honor of Dick's longevity, and his many contributions to the sport of figure skating.

I especially enjoyed the part where a young Dick Button returns home from the Olympics on the ship, The Queen Elizabeth, after being the first U.S. man to win gold, and he speaks to the crowd in his inimitable voice -- he's just younger and his voice has a slightly different, yet recognizable pitch. It's also cool to see footage of young Dick Button being honored at the White House by President Harry Truman. Someone forgot to tell President Obama that Dick Button also deserved to receive a Presidential Medal of Honor, IMHO! It frankly wouldn't be such an honor under the current WH. Not that it appears anyone outside of figure skating understands Dick Button's importance to U.S. sports/ cultural heritage. He is that rarest of athletes: a legend in his own time, who went on to accomplish many wonderful things in service to his sport, his community, and his country.

Some of my fave moments in this tribute also include the section (starting at 11:21) on Tai Babilonia & Randy Gardner at the 1979 World championships. Tai says to Dick with stars in her eyes after their winning performance: "We got our first 6.0 today. That was our dream." And Randy speaks about working hard to accomplish more at the Olympics the next year, which sadly would ultimately not pan out for them due to Randy's untimely injury. Still, Tai & Randy are such a special pairs team. It was during their era when many new athletic pairs moves were being developed that are the foundation of the more extended and expansive feats we see today. Their unison on the ice IMHO is still unparalleled.

Today's ladies, look at Dorothy Hamill's edges and her crossovers and weep! Now that's figure skating! Plus, I enjoyed seeing part of an absolutely wonderful performance by Jeff Buttle at a past Skate America that I must have missed with choreo by David Wilson. Jeff was fantastic!

One minor thing to correct that was mentioned by Dick and elaborated on by Terry Gannon during MK's iconic Salome performance: Indeed the legendary Salome was a young girl and not a mature woman when she performed the Dance of the Seven Veils. However, it was Salome's mother who requested the head of John the Baptist (or put Salome up to the request). Therefore, Salome was being exploited. She was not the vixen/ villain.


My fave Dick Button praise, quips, witticisms included in this video:

They missed including Dick comparing Johnny Weir's skating to that of a gazelle. At the time, Johnny didn't seem to understand or appreciate why he was being "compared to animals."

"Dorothy Hamill's edging is worth more than the price of any triple jump!" Dick said the same about Brian Boitano's exquisite spread eagles.

"Good for you, Lucinda Ruh!" (Ruh's incredible spins are shown a few times in the video)

Commenting on skaters taking on iconic music and program concepts:
"If you're going to sing the National Anthem, you better be Whitney Houston and not Roseanne Barr."

"You have to not only go to the rink and train, you have to go to the rink and think about what you're doing."

After MK's 1996 Worlds Salome performance:
"... Absolutely, the Best!"

The way Uncle Dick roared and exclaimed with delight during and after Rudy Galindo's 1996 career-making, record-breaking performance at U.S. Nationals.

Quoting Will Rogers(?) in regard to the OTT expression of a wonderful ice dancer, after giving her credit for her lovely talent:
"Her expression will reach to the 70th row in the theater. But unfortunately, the theater only has 30 rows."

Speaking to the audience 'tongue-in-cheek' and seriously, as a judge at one of the Marshall's skating competitions:
"Go ahead and boo all you want. I know more than you do."

Dick Button's disclaimer ahead of delivering his rant against bonehead decisions by the ISU:
"My views are my own, but I don't understand why everyone else doesn't support them."

ETA:
Thank you Dick Button, for so many wonderful memories and for teaching me most of what I know about figure skating! Many happy returns and blessings always!

 

[Moto Guzzi]

I met Dick Button for the first time at the first Skate America in 1979. Since only the top half of him was on TV, he opted to be comfortable and wore jeans and sneakers with the top half of his tux. I've always enjoyed his commentary and miss seeing him on TV.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I saw Dick at both SAs I attended... Pittsburgh and A.C.

But when I saw Miss Peggy in my hotel lobby of course I made a bee line.

 

[Frau Muller]

Here's the video tribute TSL put together, after asking for help from skaters and fans:

Dick Button: 90 Years of Figure Skating Excellence

Dick Button is unquestionably the most influential figure skater of all time. The two-time Olympic Champion landed the first double axel and triple loop in c...

www.youtube.com

It's a fair look back that memorably includes many famous Dick Buttonisms, as well as covering some of Dick's career. It's like a walk through fs history (mainly U.S. figure skating history, although there is inclusion of international skaters at Worlds and Olympics comps). There are a lot of very special moments in the compilation tribute, especially Dick's famous 'dressing down the ISU' speech/ rant, which comes toward the very end. Overall, the video is obviously quickly put together, and could use more editing, polishing and balancing of how it's put together. But still, it's a lovely tribute to Dick. It's nice to see something special being done in honor of Dick's longevity, and his many contributions to the sport of figure skating.

I especially enjoyed the part where a young Dick Button returns home from the Olympics on the ship, The Queen Elizabeth, after being the first U.S. man to win gold, and he speaks to the crowd in his inimitable voice -- he's just younger and his voice has a slightly different, yet recognizable pitch. It's also cool to see footage of young Dick Button being honored at the White House by President Harry Truman. Someone forgot to tell President Obama that Dick Button also deserved to receive a Presidential Medal of Honor, IMHO! It frankly wouldn't be such an honor under the current WH. Not that it appears anyone outside of figure skating understands Dick Button's importance to U.S. sports/ cultural heritage. He was that rarest of athletes: a legend in his own time, who went on to accomplish many other great things in service to others.

Some of my fave moments in this tribute also include the section (starting at 11:21) on Tai Babilonia & Randy Gardner at the 1979 World championships. Tai says to Dick with stars in her eyes after their winning performance: "We got our first 6.0 today. That was our dream." And Randy speaks about working hard to accomplish more at the Olympics the next year, which sadly would ultimately not pan out for them due to Randy's untimely injury. Still, Tai & Randy are such a special pairs team. It was during their era when many new athletic pairs moves were being developed that are the foundation of the more extended and expansive feats we see today. Their unison on the ice IMHO is still unparalled.

Today's ladies, look at Dorothy Hamill's edges and her crossovers and weep! Now that's figure skating! Plus, I enjoyed seeing part of an absolutely wonderful performance by Jeff Buttle at a past Skate America that I must have missed with choreo by David Wilson. Jeff was fantastic!

One minor thing to correct that was mentioned by Dick and elaborated on by Terry Gannon during MK's iconic Salome performance: Indeed the legendary Salome was a young girl and not a mature woman when she performed the Dance of the Seven Veils. However, it was Salome's mother who requested the head of John the Baptist (or put Salome up to the request). Therefore, Salome was being exploited. She was not the vixen/ villain.


My fave Dick Button praise, quips, witticisms included in this video:

They missed including Dick comparing Johnny Weir's skating to that of a gazelle. At the time, Johnny didn't seem to understand or appreciate why he was being "compared to animals."

"Dorothy Hamill's edging is worth more than the price of any triple jump!" Dick said the same about Brian Boitano's exquisite spread eagles.

"Good for you, Lucinda Ruh!" (Ruh's incredible spins are shown a few times in the video)

Commenting on skaters taking on iconic music and program concepts:
"If you're going to sing the National Anthem, you better be Whitney Houston and not Roseanne Barr."

"You have to not only go to the rink and train, you have to go to the rink and think about what you're doing."

After MK's 1996 Worlds Salome performance:
"... Absolutely, the Best!"

The way Uncle Dick roared and exclaimed with delight during and after Rudy Galindo's 1996 career-making, record-breaking performance at U.S. Nationals.

Quoting Will Rogers(?) in regard to the OTT expression of a wonderful ice dancer, after giving her credit for her lovely talent:
"Her expression will reach to the 70th row in the theater. But unfortunately, the theater only has 30 rows."

Speaking to the audience 'tongue-in-cheek' and seriously, as a judge at one of the Marshall's skating competitions:
"Go ahead and boo all you want. I know more than you do."

Dick Button's disclaimer ahead of delivering his rant against bonehead decisions by the ISU:
"My views are my own, but I don't understand why everyone else doesn't support them."

ETA:
Thank you Dick Button, for so many wonderful memories and for teaching me most of what I know about figure skating! Many happy returns and blessings always!

Great compilation of Dicks finest moments. However, I can’t believe that they omitted the time that he sang “Thank heaven for little girls” about Sasha, Naomi Nari and other young newcomers. Perhaps they left it out in the wake of 2019 realities (Epstein, Nasser, etc)...which would be a very sad commentary on how times have changed since Dick sang it in 1999 or thereabouts.

 

[aftershocks]

^^ Well, they included inimitable Dick interviewing young Irina Slutskaya and cheekily asking her if he could pinch her rosy cheek, and then he does so, while Irina laughs and says, 'Sure, all the old guys ask to pinch my cheeks.' And with a shrug and a twinkle in her eye, Irina demonstrates by pinching her other cheek. It was the late 90s.

ETA:
There's also the clip where Dick tries to give praise to Elena Sokolova, in an attempt to be nice after panning her poor performance: "The problem with the program was that it just was sort of average all the way along. There was nothing that stood out. There was no stretch, no great jump, no great spark anywhere. She's an awfully cute gal, a cupcake, but she doesn't quite do it in this type of a program."

Terry Gannon gets in a few good quips too: "Elena says her favorite book is War & Peace. That four-minutes must have seemed as long as War & Peace..." And after Dick exclaims about Miki Ando's fall, "OMG, if that didn't put a 'finizzle in her shinizzle,'" Terry observes: "You're like Jesse Jackson tonight, you're rhyming all over the place ..."

I think the rhyming was more like Muhammad Ali, but in any case, Dick was usually always right-on in his assessments. I loved the "... didn't make a rusty hoot,' comment when MK completed a jump combo in a patch of water without a hitch.

The 'refrigerator break' reference may have been apropos in the moment and not meant unkindly, though it was still a bit harsh. Yet, I think everyone understood that Dick cared immensely and so they often listened to his critiques and tried to improve. People remember the 'fridge break' remark fondly, not so much for who the skater was, but because it could describe any number of boring performances in figure skating, or dead interludes in other sports watched on television or in an arena, which allow for viewers taking a snack break.

 

[VGThuy]

I remember years later when Dick mentioned the cheek pinching to Irina, and he said something along the lines of "I remember you said old men love to pinch your cheeks." and Irina laughed and said "I didn't say old men, I said all men like to pinch my cheeks."

I don't know who NBC listened to because during the 2006 Olympics where NBC had all the rights but Dick was still contracted by ABC who had rights to non-Olympic skating events in the U.S., they some how got Dick Button on board and he did like "Push Dick's Buttons" and other appearances. I loved it. I also loved that NBC hired Tamara Moskvina to be a skating personality to explain skating things with humor in their Ice Chat or whatever that show was called during the Olympics, especially after the way NBC treated Elena and Anton just four years prior.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

Push Dick's Button and Olympic Ice were the best Olympic fluff pieces ever.