The Athletes and Trainers Born Outside in the USA

Although the US is a country of newcomers, the NFL is still dominated by US-born players. Only 5% of participants are foreign-born, and most of them step into the sport by attending university in the United States. True international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his father and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He began participating in his area and soon aspired to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his plans to attend university in the US proved too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the IPP program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really active role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had not played the sport. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and schedules: how to look after their health and deal with a huge playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players call me ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and require support in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the rest fades.”

Benefits of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing foreign fans than developing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Australia who won the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

International Players and Their Paths

Foreign players have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at university, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was obviously not suited for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so took up American football in his late teens. He stood out while playing for teams in Austria and Europe, as well as the national side, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. 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 a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really inclusive culture, a excellent team, a top organization.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is always very tight because we are a group and united, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Akers – my best man, actually – was a wide receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries beyond the United States. The better every IPP graduate does, the more youth who play football in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida each year to train the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back