The Players and Coaches Not Born in the United States
Although the US is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is largely led by US-born players. Just five percent of participants 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 particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.
James Cook’s Unlikely 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 considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his dreams to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.
“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. 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 Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Atlanta 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, working with some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to introduce them to college football, like what I had hoped to do.”
Making the Leap to NFL Coaching
Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, optimizing time on the training ground, working closely with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My background was guiding players from abroad who had never played the game. First-year rookies also have to build structure and schedules: learning to look after their health and deal with a massive playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”
Does being an Englishman who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and require help in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”
Benefits of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble
Originating from outside the American football world has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a variety of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been better at attracting international supporters than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the elite level.
Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys
International athletes have typically been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.
Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not built for his favoured sports, football and the sport, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.
A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and 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 action on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?
“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, 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 teammates. The Vikings have a really inclusive culture, a excellent team, a great organization.”
Although spending the majority of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for a while at the Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”
Inspiring the Future
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The more successful each one of us does, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida annually to train the next wave of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return
