These Athletes and Coaches Born Outside in the United States
Although the US is a country of immigrants, the NFL is still dominated by American-born players. Only five percent of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the sport by attending college in the US. Genuine international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.
James Cook’s Surprising Path 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 given he was raised in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never participated in pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and came across what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing locally and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his dreams to attend university in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they trained 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.”
This is where he met Aden 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 championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta 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, working with some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to get them into college football, similar to what I wanted to do.”
Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL
Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, working closely with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really active position, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had never played the game. Rookie rookies also have to establish habits and schedules: how to look after their health and handle a huge game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”
Is being an Englishman who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and need support in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or how you speak. And when people know that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”
Benefits of Being Outside the US System
Originating from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than many think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been better at producing foreign fans than developing global talent. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who won the championship earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have made it to the elite level.
Foreign Players and Their Journeys
Foreign players have typically been kickers, brought in from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and did not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.
Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering the sport at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He competed in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.
Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, football and the sport, so started American football in his late teens. He stood out while playing for teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the national side, and was offered a place on the IPP in 2021.
A year later, he held the championship trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?
“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very welcoming culture, a great team, a top franchise.”
Although devoting most of training with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is always very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”
Motivating the Next Generation
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “I would say all the countries outside the US. The more successful each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to inspire them to experience what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US each year to coach the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back