The Athletes and Coaches Born Outside in the USA
While the US is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still dominated by US-born players. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by attending college in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which makes James Cook’s story remarkable.
James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL
Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible given he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating in his area and quickly wanted to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to college in the US were too expensive.
“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, handling 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 throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear all over London and throw 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 stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP program 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 UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting guys,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”
Transitioning to NFL Coaching
Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, working closely with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a very active role, which is perfect for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. Rookie newcomers also have to build structure and routines: how to take care of their body and handle a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”
Does being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and require support in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or how you speak. And when players realize that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”
Advantages of Being Beyond the US System
Originating from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been more successful at attracting foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.
International Athletes and Their Paths
Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for becoming a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and did not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.
Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding American football at Nottingham University, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not built for his preferred games, football and the sport, so started American football in his late teens. He impressed while representing teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.
A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a hurdle?
“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very welcoming environment, a excellent squad, a great organization.”
Despite spending the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries outside the United States. The better every IPP graduate does, the more young people who play football 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 contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to experience what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida each year to coach the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return
