The Athletes and Coaches Not Born in the USA
While the US is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is still dominated by US-born players. Only 5% of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by attending university in the United States. Genuine international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.
Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL
For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating locally and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his dreams to attend university in the US proved financially prohibitive.
“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my schedule and assist. 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 toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”
This is where he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting guys,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”
Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL
Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, optimizing efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a really active role, which is perfect for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had never played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and routines: how to take care of their health and handle a massive playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I love that.”
Is being an Englishman who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and need support in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when people know that you care, all the rest fades.”
Advantages of Coming From Outside the US System
Originating from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are truly intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been more successful at attracting foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.
International Players and Their Paths
Foreign players have typically been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.
Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s academy before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Steelers.
Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.
The following year, he held the championship trophy as a member of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see action on the gridiron. Is his status as 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. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a very welcoming environment, a excellent team, a top organization.”
Although spending most of practice with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”
Motivating the Future
Pircher is aware he represents not only Italy and Austria. “I would say every nation outside the United States. The better every IPP graduate performs, the more young people who participate in Europe, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida each year to train the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back
