These Athletes and Trainers Not Born in the United States

Although the US is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is largely led by US-born athletes. Only 5% of players are born abroad, and most of them step into the sport by going to university in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

James Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and never played pro sports. Cook first saw 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 locally and quickly wanted to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to attend college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Falcons, becoming the first British permanent coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to work with younger players from around the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, optimizing time on the training ground, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My background was guiding international athletes who had never played the game. First-year newcomers also have to establish habits and schedules: how to look after their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Does being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and require support in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the US System

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a variety of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who won the championship recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

International Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been specialists, brought in from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in England to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not educated in the American system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding American football at university, has achieved that. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not suited for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so took up American football in his late teens. He impressed while playing for teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, 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 Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is being a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really welcoming culture, a excellent squad, a top franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The better every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of young people who play football in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida each year to train the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us return