These Athletes and Trainers Born Outside in the United States

Although the US is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely led by American-born players. Only 5% of participants are foreign-born, and most of them step into the sport by going to college in the US. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL

Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible given he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing locally and soon wanted to become the first NFL QB born in Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his plans to attend college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. 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 often buy me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Australia to work with younger players from across the Pacific to introduce them to college football, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the practice field, working closely with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a really active position, which is perfect for me. My background was guiding players from abroad who had not played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to build habits and schedules: how to look after their health and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I love that.”

Does being an Brit who did not play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and many players call me ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and need help in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or how you speak. And when players realize that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”

Benefits of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Originating from outside the American football world has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting international supporters than developing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in England to the Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a special teams player and were not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding 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 Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, football and the sport, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while playing for teams in Austria and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is being a international player still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really welcoming environment, a excellent squad, a top franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is always very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My close friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries beyond the United States. The better each one of us performs, the more young people who participate in Europe, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to the US annually to coach the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us return