These Players and Coaches Not Born in the United States
Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is largely led by US-born athletes. Just five percent of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by attending university in the United States. True international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.
Cook’s Surprising Path to the League
For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing locally and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his dreams to attend college in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would switch my schedule and assist. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear around London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”
It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, like what I wanted to do.”
Making the Leap to NFL Coaching
Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, working closely with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on role, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had not played the game. First-year newcomers also have to build structure and routines: how to look after their health and deal with a huge playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”
Does being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and need help in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or how you speak. And when players know that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”
Advantages of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble
Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than developing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the championship earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have risen to the elite level.
Foreign Athletes and Their Paths
International athletes have usually been kickers, brought in from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for being a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.
Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at Nottingham University, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not built for his favoured sports, football and handball, so started the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while representing clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a spot on the IPP in 2021.
The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see game time on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a challenge?
“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a very welcoming environment, a excellent squad, a top organization.”
Despite spending the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The better every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of young people who participate in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida annually to train the next wave of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return
