These Players and Coaches Not Born in the United States
While the United States is a country of immigrants, the NFL is still dominated by American-born athletes. Only 5% of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending college in the US. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.
Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL
For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible given he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” game. He began participating locally and quickly aspired to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his plans to go to university in the US were too expensive.
“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”
It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he set up the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”
Transitioning to NFL Coaching
Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to joining the NFL. “The Browns called unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. Rookie rookies also have to build habits and schedules: how to take care of their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”
Does being an Brit who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the similar things and require support in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or how you speak. And when people know that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”
Benefits of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble
Originating from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and form friendships. Teammates are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.
International Players and Their Journeys
Foreign players have usually been specialists, brought in from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.
Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at university, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so started American football in his late teens. He stood out while representing clubs in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.
The following year, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the 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 being a international player still a challenge?
“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” says the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really welcoming environment, a great squad, a great franchise.”
Despite devoting the majority of practice with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – played receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “I would say every nation outside the United States. The better each one of us performs, the more young people who participate in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”
The program alumni are all invited to the US annually to coach the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us return