These Players and Coaches Born Outside in the USA

While the US is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is still dominated by American-born athletes. Only five percent of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the sport by going to university in the US. Genuine outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and did not played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating locally and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as representing Great Britain, but his dreams to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing 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 pass. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

This is where he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, working closely with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really active role, which is perfect for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had not played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build habits and routines: how to look after their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and require support in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the US System

Coming from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the championship recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have risen to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in England to the Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not built for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so started American football in his late teens. He impressed while playing for teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really inclusive culture, a excellent squad, a great organization.”

Although devoting most of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes more than just Italy and Austria. “I would say every nation outside the United States. The more successful each one of us does, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to the US each year to coach the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back