These Players and Coaches Born Outside in the United States
Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born athletes. Just five percent of participants are born abroad, and most of them enter the sport by going to college in the United States. Genuine international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.
James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL
Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and never played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his plans to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.
“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my shifts and assist. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”
This is where he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, similar to what I wanted to do.”
Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL
Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, maximising efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on position, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had never played the game. Rookie newcomers also have to build habits and schedules: how to look after their health and handle a huge playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”
Is being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and need help in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you care, all the rest melts away.”
Benefits of Coming From Beyond the US System
Coming from outside the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who claimed the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have made it to the very top.
Foreign Players and Their Paths
Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; 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 academy before discovering the sport at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not built for his favoured sports, football and the sport, so took up American football in his late teens. He impressed while playing for clubs in Europe and Germany, as well as the national side, and was given a place on the IPP in 2021.
The following year, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a hurdle?
“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really welcoming environment, a excellent squad, a top organization.”
Despite devoting most of training with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”
Motivating the Next Generation
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries outside the United States. The better each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who play football in Europe, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida each year to train the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us return
