The Athletes and Coaches Born Outside in the USA
Although the US is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely led by American-born athletes. Just 5% of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending university in the US. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which makes 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. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to attend university in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. 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 usually get me lunch.”
This is where he met Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to get them into the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”
Transitioning to NFL Coaching
Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the practice field, working closely with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had not played the game. Rookie rookies also have to establish habits and schedules: learning to take care of their body and deal with a huge playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”
Does being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players call me ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the same things and need help in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when people know that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”
Benefits of Being Beyond the US System
Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have people from various backgrounds, a variety of experiences. 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 developing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the elite level.
International Athletes and Their Paths
Foreign players have typically been specialists, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and were not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.
Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was clearly not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so started 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 place on the IPP in 2021.
A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined 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 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 doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really inclusive environment, a excellent squad, a great franchise.”
Although devoting the majority of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a group and united, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – was a wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for a while at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”
Inspiring the Future
Pircher is conscious he represents not only his home countries. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The better each one of us performs, the more youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”
The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida each year to coach the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return
