These Players and Coaches Not Born in the USA
Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the NFL is still led by American-born athletes. Only 5% of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by going to college in the United States. Genuine international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.
Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League
For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating in his area and quickly aspired to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his dreams to go to college in the US were too expensive.
“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear around London and toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”
It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP programme in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to train younger players from around the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”
Making the Leap to NFL Coaching
Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, optimizing time on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had never played the game. First-year newcomers also have to build habits and routines: how to take care of their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”
Does being an Brit who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states 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 ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the similar things and require help in the same 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 fades.”
Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System
Coming from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have staff from various origins, a range of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who won the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the elite level.
Foreign Players and Their Journeys
International athletes have usually been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England 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 make the leap to the NFL.
Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport at university, has made that step. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.
Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while playing for clubs in Austria and Germany, as well as the national side, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.
The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the field. Is being a international player still a hurdle?
“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a very inclusive environment, a excellent squad, a top organization.”
Although devoting most of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is always very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – was a wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Future
Pircher is aware he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “In my view all the countries beyond the US. The better each one of us does, the greater number of youth who play football in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”
The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida each year to coach the next wave of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back
