These Athletes and Trainers Not Born in the USA

Although the United States is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is largely led by US-born athletes. Only 5% of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the sport by going to college in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

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. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing locally and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his plans to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my shifts and help out. As 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 throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to get them into college football, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had never played the sport. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and schedules: learning to take care of their health and handle a massive playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who never compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a perceived barrier 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 use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish 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 where you’re from or what accent. And when players realize that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about rugby with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – 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 global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering American football at university, has achieved that. He competed in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At over two meters and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, football and handball, so started American football 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 that year.

The following year, he held the championship trophy as a member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really welcoming environment, a excellent squad, a top organization.”

Although spending the majority of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a group and united, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – played wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The better each one of us performs, the more youth who participate in Europe, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to coach the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back