The Athletes and Coaches Born Outside in the United States
While the United States is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born players. Only 5% of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the sport by going to college in the US. Genuine outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s story exceptional.
Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League
Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Browns organization. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and did not participated in pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing locally and soon aspired to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his plans to attend college in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys wanted me, I would switch my shifts and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill 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 usually buy me lunch.”
This is where he encountered Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”
Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL
Like his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, optimizing time on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had never played the sport. Rookie newcomers also have to build structure and routines: how to look after their health and handle a massive game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I enjoy that.”
Is being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an actual 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 say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and require help in the same ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when people realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”
Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System
Coming from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “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 enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than many think. We have people from various origins, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been better at attracting foreign fans than developing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Australia who won the championship earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have risen to the elite level.
International Athletes and Their Journeys
International athletes have typically been kickers, recruited from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.
Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not built for his favoured sports, football and handball, so started American football in his late teens. He stood out while playing for teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the national side, and was offered a spot on the IPP in 2021.
A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is his status as a international player still a challenge?
“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says 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 have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really inclusive culture, a excellent squad, a top organization.”
Despite devoting the majority of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is always very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is aware he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “I would say every nation outside the US. The more successful each one of us performs, the greater number of young people who participate in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to experience what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida annually to coach the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us return
