Football’s taken Chris Greisen all over the world ever since he left Maryville, Mo., after leading Northwest Missouri State to a national championship in 1998.

And the game turns a national spotlight on the former Bearcat again next week as he and his Georgia Force teammates fight on in the AFL playoffs.

Greisen will quarterback the Force (10-6) against the Cleveland Gladiators (9-7) at 7 tonight in the Divisional Round, which ESPN2 will broadcast. Georgia is coming off a first-round bye.

Greisen, 32, lives in Georgia during the AFL season — from February through July — and in Green Bay, Wisc., the rest of the year. He and his wife, Shannon, have two daughters and a son.

What do you do with your offseasons?

I coach high school football at Green Bay Southwest. I’m the offensive coordinator. I also do some radio.

I got into high school coaching after (Northwest coach Mel Tjeerdsma) called me at one point a few years ago and asked me if I’d consider a position with Northwest as the passing game coordinator. I had to decline because I wanted to continue playing, and I still felt I had a lot of playing inside me. But then, later, because of his confidence in me, I contacted some schools in the area and got the offer to work as the passing game coordinator at Southwest. The coach eventually turned over the play-calling duties.

I love the opportunity. I love the pressure of being able to put together an offense that the kids can understand. Really, we’re running the same offense as Northwest. It’s been a challenge.

How big of an adjustment is it to go from the NFL to the AFL?

It’s big. Learning the timing of everything is a challenge. Your drops change, how you get rid of the football changes. Then there’s the motion (before the snap) and figuring out when to snap the ball. It’s definitely different.

What’s your “go to” play to run with Atlanta?

Anything that scores us a touchdown. I have a couple plays where I like to pump-fake the corner and if he bites, I throw it to my receiver running up the board.

What’s your favorite memory from playing at Northwest?

There are so many memories. Being on the sideline to see the defense stop against Carson-Newman and winning our first national championship. One of the great memories I have is of our semifinal game that year against Texas A&M-Kingsville where I ended up getting out of the pocket and threw a pass to (receiver) Tony Miles. Tony broke a number of tackles on a 74-yard touchdown. At each point that he broke a tackle, the crowd seemed to get louder and louder, until he broke the last tackles and it reached this huge climax. It was pretty awesome to experience that and hear that.

Is Northwest coach Mel Tjeerdsma as serious as he always looks on the sideline?

During the game, yes. He’s very serious, very focused. Not too many people understand how competitive he is. He’s super-competitive. I think that’s one of the reason he works so hard.

I remember in the national championship game, (center) Steve Coppinger went up to give him a hug in the last minute. We’re up 24-6. Coppinger said, “Coach, give me a hug, we’ve got it won.” Coach said, “No, it’s not over with.”

What’s something that you miss about living in Northwest Missouri?

Maryville is what I consider my second my home. I miss 100 percent the people there. That’s what makes any town great. Those relationships are what I miss the most.

What’s the future hold for you?

I came to Northwest because of a deviation in my plan. I wanted to play in a Division I school, get drafted, play in the NFL. The good Lord changed my plan. I tore my ACL my senior year in high school. So I went to Northwest, had quite a bit of success there. I got drafted, and I planned on playing 10 years in the NFL, then retiring to coach high school. Instead, I bounced around, played all over the world and ended up in the AFL.

I’m enjoying this ride. God willing, I can continue to play for five, six, seven more years. I’m having fun.

Arena football is a pretty good gig, it really is.

Sports Editor Scott Pummell can be

reached at scottp@ngpco.com