These Players and Coaches Not Born in the USA

While the United States is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is still dominated by US-born athletes. Just 5% of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending university in the US. True outsiders are unusual, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the League

Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Browns organization. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and did not participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing locally and soon aspired to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to go to university in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. 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 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 stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and routines: how to take care of their health and deal with a massive playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the same things and need support in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when people know that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. Teammates are truly intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than many think. We have people from various backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been better at attracting foreign fans than developing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the championship earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been kickers, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at Nottingham University, has made that step. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, football and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while playing for teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was given a spot 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 Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very welcoming culture, a great squad, a great organization.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is conscious he represents not only Italy and Austria. “I would say every nation beyond the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate does, the more young people who play football in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

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