These Athletes and Trainers Born Outside in the United States
While the US is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still dominated by American-born athletes. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by going to university in the United States. Genuine international figures are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.
James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL
For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He started playing locally and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his dreams to go to university in the US were too expensive.
“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”
This is where he encountered Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to get them into college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”
Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL
Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, working closely with physios, the head coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. First-year rookies also have to establish structure and routines: how to take care of their body and handle a huge 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 hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and need help in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or what accent. And when players know that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”
Advantages of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble
Coming from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from various 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 better at attracting foreign fans than nurturing global talent. 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.
Foreign Players and Their Paths
Foreign players have typically been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.
Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding American football at university, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, 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 offered a place on the IPP in 2021.
The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see game time on the field. Is being a foreigner still a challenge?
“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” 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 teammates. The Minnesota have a really welcoming culture, a great squad, a great franchise.”
Although devoting the majority of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”
Motivating the Next Generation
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The better each one of us does, the greater number of young people who participate in Europe, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US each year to train the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us return