The Players and Coaches Not Born in the USA
Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by US-born athletes. Only five percent of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the sport by going to university in the United States. Genuine outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.
Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League
For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and never participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He began participating in his area and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his plans to attend college in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my schedule and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up all over London and toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”
It was here that he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”
Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL
Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, working closely with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish structure and schedules: 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 across the board. And I love that.”
Is being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get 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 say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and require help in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”
Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System
Originating from outside the American football world has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been better at producing foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who claimed the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the elite level.
Foreign Players and Their Paths
International athletes have usually been specialists, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and did not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.
Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not built for his favoured sports, football and the sport, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while representing clubs in Austria and Germany, 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 practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see action on the gridiron. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?
“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really inclusive culture, a excellent team, a great franchise.”
Although spending most of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries outside the United States. The more successful 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 experience what I’ve experienced.”
The program alumni are welcomed to Florida annually to train the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us return
