ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 9, 1995 TAG: 9512110059
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
From Greg Lister's home on the Jersey shore, it's only a 45-minute drive to the Rowan College campus.
Hey, sometimes, a guy can get lost on the way.
En route to today's Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl at Salem Stadium - hope he had chains on those tires - Lister's football career and educational experience have had more transfers than a New York subway station.
``Greg's a good kid. Where is he now?'' Joe Krivak wondered earlier this week. ``Is he in junior college?''
No, Joe. The reason Virginia's quarterback coach was wondering about Lister is that Krivak recruited the New Jersey native to Maryland. That was in January 1991, the winter before Krivak was fired as the Terrapins' coach.
Lister was in the same recruiting class as Terps senior Scott Milanovich, except that Lister got to College Park a semester before Milanovich. He also stopped for a year at Pitt before moving to Rowan.
And, thanks to the very - some say too - liberal Division III rules on eligibility, Lister will finish only his sophomore season for the Profs against Wisconsin-La Crosse in today's national championship game.
``I've had my share of stops,'' said Lister, a 6-foot-3, 235-pounder. ``I guess I'm a lot like our team. We've paid our dues, and now it's time to do it. This is the biggest game of our lives.''
In some respects, Lister is just happy to be playing. He spent three semesters at Maryland and two at Pitt, and had a year off in between. He became Rowan's starter in the fourth game last season.
``I never had any doubts I could play,'' said Lister, who has hit 56 percent of his passes, with 24 touchdowns and 16 interceptions for the Profs (10-2-1). ``It's nice to have success at last.''
When is a sophomore a veteran quarterback? When he has 97 academic credit hours. When he'll be 24 in less than two weeks. When he's 10 days older than Heath Shuler, who's in his second year with the Washington Redskins.
Unlike in Division I, where an athlete has a five-year clock to play four seasons, Division III rules permit a player four seasons over 10 semesters, but the terms don't have to be consecutive. A player can interrupt his career as a part-time student, too, which Lister has.
He has enough hours to graduate next year, and he admits that while he'll definitely play next season, Lister isn't sure about two more years.
``Some things about Greg's situation have helped him and others have hurt him,'' said Rowan coach K.C. Keeler. ``He's a little older, and he's faced some adversity, but then, you still have to wait your turn.
``He had to understand my philosophy. I don't care who you were or where you've been. It's who you are and where you're going.''
On a team with transfers from the Big Ten, Big Eight, Big East, SEC and ACC, Lister wasn't special until he played his way into a starting role. Krivak remembers Lister's arm as ``big time.''
He remembers right. He also recalls that Lister was bounced around in high school, too.
After his junior year at Oakcrest High in Mays Landing, N.J., as an all-conference football and basketball player, Lister transferred to Holy Spirit High in Absecon. Oakcrest protested.
``I'm the first player in history ruled ineligible in every sport by the New Jersey State [Interscholastic] Athletic Association,'' Lister said. ``We spent $10,000 going to court. We lost.''
So, Lister sat out, then went to Admiral Farragut, a now-closed Jersey prep school, to re-establish his credentials. He then canceled visits to Texas, Boston College and Rutgers, and enrolled at Maryland immediately after New Year's 1991.
Krivak was axed a year later, and after one spring practice with Mark Duffner's new regime, Lister left. ``We had seven quarterbacks on scholarship already,'' he said, ``and [Duffner] brought in three more.''
At Pitt he wasn't on scholarship and never got above third or fourth string. He bolted, and called Keeler. It's been a Prof-itable move.
``By that point, I just wanted to play good enough to play,'' Lister said. ``It was a good move. I thought about going to Villanova, but that was I-AA, and I'd have lost a year back then, even though they've changed the rule since.''
Lister may have a shot at being invited to an NFL camp after next season. If that doesn't work, he'll use his business degree.
``I'm looking to get into real estate,'' he said.
He's certainly seen enough property.
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: MIKE HEFFNER/Staff. Rowan College quarterback Gregby CNBLister, a sophomore, is older than Washington Redskins quarterback
Heath Shuler. color.