These Athletes and Trainers Not Born in the USA

Although the United States is a nation of newcomers, the National Football League is largely dominated by American-born athletes. Only five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending university in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s story exceptional.

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 achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating locally and quickly wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to university in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people needed me, I would switch my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker 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 region to introduce them to the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, maximising efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build habits and routines: learning to take care of their body and handle a massive playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and many players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and need help in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have people from various origins, a variety of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at attracting foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Australia who won the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Players and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at Nottingham University, has made that step. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not suited for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while playing for teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, 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 went on to have spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington 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 his status as a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really welcoming culture, a excellent squad, a great organization.”

Despite devoting the majority of training with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents more than just Italy and Austria. “I would say all the countries outside the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the more youth who participate 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 youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are welcomed to the US each year to train the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us return