The Athletes and Coaches Not Born in the USA
Although the United States is a nation of newcomers, the National Football League is still dominated by American-born athletes. Just 5% of players are foreign-born, and most of them step into the game by going to college in the US. True international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.
James Cook’s Surprising Path to the League
Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Browns organization. This is an achievement 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 stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and quickly aspired to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his plans to attend university in the US proved too expensive.
“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up all over London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”
This is where he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and 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 joined the coaching team at the Falcons, becoming the first British 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 says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to train younger players from across the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, like what I wanted to do.”
Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL
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 multi-faceted position supporting rookies, optimizing time on the practice field, working closely with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and routines: learning to take care of their health and handle a massive playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”
Is being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed 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 how you speak. And when people realize that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”
Benefits of Being Outside the NFL Bubble
Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have staff from various backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been more successful at attracting international supporters than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.
Foreign Players and Their Journeys
Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in England to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.
Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s academy before discovering the sport at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not built for his preferred games, football and handball, so started American football in his teenage years. He impressed while representing clubs in Austria and Germany, as well as the national side, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.
A year later, he held the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?
“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the player. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really inclusive environment, a great squad, a great organization.”
Although spending most of practice with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is always close-knit because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – was a receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “I would say every nation outside the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the more youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida each year to train the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us return