‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 49: Before serving on the bench, Dwayne Woodruff made impact on the field

The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best 100 players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.

No. 49: Dwayne Woodruff

If any other candidate were chosen as the best athlete in Pittsburgh history to wear No. 49, Dwayne Woodruff justifiably could hold the Tribune-Review sports staff in contempt of court.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback continues to serve on the bench as a Court of Common Pleas judge in Allegheny County, a post he has held for the past 15 years.

It was his work on the football field in 12 years with the Steelers that earned Woodruff a spot on the Trib’s numerical jersey rankings.

As a rookie in 1979, he contributed to the Steelers’ run to their fourth Super Bowl title in six years, intercepting a pair of passes in the postseason. In 1981, Woodruff moved into the starting lineup for good and was a fixture at left cornerback for eight seasons. (He missed the 1986 season with an injury.)

Woodruff led the Steelers with five interceptions in 1982, a season shortened by nine games because of a labor dispute, and he was honored that season as team MVP. Woodruff led or tied for the team lead in interceptions five times in his career, and his 37 career interceptions rank fifth in team history.

The four players ranked ahead of him — Mel Blount, Jack Butler, Donnie Shell and Rod Woodson — have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Woodruff started 105 times in 157 career games with the Steelers. However, he never experienced the type of team success he enjoyed as a rookie. He played in just six more postseason games after 1979, and the Steelers reached the AFC championship game only once more, in 1984, in the latter half of coach Chuck Noll’s career.

Noll believed football prepared a player for his “life’s work,” and Woodruff didn’t wait until his retirement to begin his second act. In 1988, Woodruff earned his juris doctor degree from Duquesne, and he had the distinction of practicing law while playing football for the final three years of his NFL career.

Woodruff founded his own law firm in 1997 and was elected to his first 10-year cycle on the bench in 2005. He was re-elected to a 10-year term in 2015.

Another former Steelers player to wear No. 49 with distinction was Lynn Chandnois, a two-way standout who spent his entire seven-year NFL career with the Steelers.

A halfback, defensive back and kick returner from Michigan State, Chandnois was the team’s first-round pick in the 1950 draft.

Chandnois was named to the Pro Bowl in the 1952 and ‘53 seasons, and he finished his career with 16 rushing touchdowns and seven receiving scores. He also contributed 12 fumble recoveries while playing defense.

Chandnois’ best work was as a kickoff returner. He returned three kickoffs for scores and averaged 29.6 yards on 92 attempts. More than six decades after his retirement, Chandnois still has the third-longest kickoff return average in NFL history.

Of the 30 players in Pirates history to wear No. 49, Tim Wakefield enjoyed just a two-year run in Pittsburgh, but he will be remembered for nearly pitching the team to an appearance in the 1992 World Series.

Called up from Triple-A Buffalo on July 31, the knuckleballer went 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA down the stretch to help the Pirates capture their third consecutive division title. In the NLCS, he pitched a pair of complete-game wins against the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 and 6. Wakefield was poised to be named the series MVP until Francisco Cabrera and Sid Bream ruined everything in the ninth inning of Game 7.

Wakefield struggled to recapture his magic in 1993, was sent to the minors and finished 6-11 with a 5.61 ERA. He remained in the minors in 1994, and the Pirates released him in spring training the next year.

Wakefield, of course, hooked on with the Boston Red Sox and won 16 games that season.

Wakefield spent the next 17 years with the Red Sox, finishing with a 200-180 record and retiring in 2011 at age 44.

Check out the entire ’Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.