These Athletes and Trainers Not Born in the United States
While the US is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is still dominated by American-born players. Only 5% of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by going to university in the US. Genuine international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad 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. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He started playing locally and quickly wanted to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his dreams to attend university in the US proved financially prohibitive.
“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”
This is where he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to train younger players from across the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”
Making the Leap to NFL Coaching
Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, maximising efficiency on the training ground, 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 guiding international athletes who had never played the sport. Rookie newcomers also have to build habits and routines: how to look after their body and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I enjoy that.”
Does being an Brit who never compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the same things and require support in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when people know that you are invested, all the rest fades.”
Advantages of Being Outside the NFL Bubble
Coming from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a variety of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.
International Athletes and Their Paths
Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult 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 made that step. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so started the NFL in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for clubs in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a spot on the IPP in that year.
A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see game time on the field. Is being a foreigner still a challenge?
“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very welcoming environment, a great squad, a great franchise.”
Despite spending the majority of training with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his clubs. “Naturally the offensive line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”
Inspiring the Future
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The more successful each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who participate in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids contacting me, seeking 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. “Almost all of us come back
