The Athletes and Coaches Born Outside in the USA
While the United States is a nation of newcomers, the National Football League is largely dominated by US-born players. Only five percent of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by going to college in the United States. Genuine outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.
James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League
For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He got as far as representing Great Britain, 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. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d appear around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”
It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined 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, coaching some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, similar to what I had hoped to do.”
Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL
Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, maximising efficiency on the practice field, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had never played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to build structure and routines: learning to take care of their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”
Does being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and require help in the identical ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when people realize that you care, all the other stuff fades.”
Benefits of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble
Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been better at attracting international supporters than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.
International Athletes and Their Paths
International athletes have usually been specialists, brought in from different sports. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.
Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at Nottingham University, has made that step. He played in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was clearly not built for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so started the NFL in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for clubs in Europe and Germany, 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 championship trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is being a foreigner still a hurdle?
“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “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 Minnesota have a really inclusive environment, a excellent team, a great organization.”
Although spending most of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – was a wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries beyond the United States. The better every IPP graduate does, the greater number of young people who participate in Europe, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”
The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida annually to coach the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back
