Sam Carchidi | Delran grad's fairy tale

There is an NFL story developing that has the potential to make Vince Papale's

Invincible

look lame by comparison.

The story has South Jersey ties and, before the NFL season is over, it could turn Todd Lowber into a nationally known figure.

Lowber, 25, is a Delran graduate who was a track and basketball standout at the Burlington County school. He also starred in those two sports at Ramapo College. He never played football at either school, so . . .

Naturally, he signed a three-year deal last week with the Minnesota Vikings.

He hasn't made the NFL yet, "but up to this point, his story is even more remarkable and unbelievable than [Papale's]," said Jim Ulrich, Lowber's agent. Papale was a reserve receiver with the Eagles after never having played in college, but he did play in high school and the World Football League before reaching the NFL.

Lowber has never played organized football. Not in a semi-pro league. Not in college. Not in high school.

Heck, not even in a Pop Warner League.

Lowber's deal, which isn't guaranteed, is worth $1.1 million. Even if the Vikings cut the 6-foot-3, 208-pound Lowber, there's a good chance some team will pick him up, based on the interest he generated in recent off-the-chart workouts.

According to Ulrich, Lowber ran a blistering 4.28-second 40-yard dash in a workout for the Vikings. He also ran the same time for the San Francisco 49ers, and he did a 4.3 40 - after an intense one-hour workout - for the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, Ulrich said.

Those teams, and others, were in the hunt; three offered contracts.

Lowber opted for the Vikings.

For the last eight months, Lowber has been working out with Jim Garrett, a former NFL player, coach and scout who retired from the Dallas Cowboys in 2004. At Garrett's camp in Wall Township, N.J., Lowber made major strides; films of his workouts were sent to NFL teams.

From what they saw, no one could tell that Lowber had never run a pass pattern in his life.

"His route-running has really come long," Garrett said yesterday. "What makes him more unusual than the classic track-star-trying-to-make-the-NFL is he has great hands. I think it comes from his basketball experience."

Interestingly, by signing Lowber, the Vikings beat out teams coached by Garrett's three sons who are NFL assistants - two with the Cowboys, one with the Rams. Those teams, along with the Eagles, were impressed by Lowber but wanted to sign him after this weekend's NFL draft.

Garrett conceded his sons were not thrilled Lowber signed with the Vikings.

You snooze, you lose, he basically told them.

Lowber averaged 12 points per game as a Ramapo guard and started 49 games. But track was his best sport; he won the NCAA Division III high-jump title in 2006 by clearing 7 feet, and then played professional basketball briefly in Germany.

Garrett acknowledged Lowber is "raw" and needs to study the intricacies of becoming a good receiver, but he thinks he has NFL potential.

"I spent 42 years in the NFL . . . and he runs the fastest deep 'go' I've ever seen in my life," Garrett said. "Give him a specialty" - such as a deep-threat receiver - "and a cornerback will be blessing himself when he sees him because this guy will run right by you."

The first time Lowber worked with Garrett, the former coach had him run routes with other receivers.

"I told him to be fourth in line and to emulate the first three," Garrett said. "I didn't want to burden him with different kinds of footwork."

Garrett was amazed at Lowber's ability.

"I said, 'Holy Christmas! Are you sure you never played football before?' " he said.

Eight months later, Lowber is much more polished.

"If you lined him up with 10 [veteran] receivers, you couldn't pick him out as the one" who didn't have experience, Garrett said.

Lowber, who now lives in Riverside, told Minnesota reporters, "I never thought I have the ability I have. I was so tunnel-visioned on the NBA, I didn't realize I had talent for other sports. But I like competition, and the NFL is the ultimate competition."

And, if he makes it, he could give movie-makers the ultimate story.