These Players and Coaches Not Born in the United States
Although the US is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is still dominated by American-born players. Just 5% of players are foreign-born, and most of them step into the sport by going to college in the United States. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.
James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL
Cook has been in control of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing locally and quickly aspired to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his plans to go to university in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear all over London and toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”
It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train younger players from across the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”
Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL
Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, maximising time on the training ground, working closely with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. First-year rookies also have to build habits and routines: how to look after their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I love that.”
Is being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and require help in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when people know that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”
Advantages of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble
Originating from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a variety of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been better at attracting foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Sydney who won the championship recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have made it to the elite level.
Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys
Foreign players have typically been specialists, brought in from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.
Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not suited for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while playing for teams in Austria and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.
A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is being a foreigner still a hurdle?
“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming culture, a great squad, a top organization.”
Although devoting the majority of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is conscious he represents not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the US. The more successful each one of us performs, the more youth who participate in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The program alumni are welcomed to Florida annually to coach the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back
