The Athletes and Coaches Not Born in the United States
Although the United States is a nation of newcomers, the National Football League is largely dominated by American-born athletes. Only 5% of participants are born abroad, and most of them step into the sport by attending college in the US. Genuine outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.
James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League
Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Browns organization. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and never played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He started playing locally and quickly wanted to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his plans to attend university in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”
It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting players,” he says. “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 went to Australia to train younger players from across the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”
Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL
Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, maximising time on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the head coach and GM. 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. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and schedules: how to look after their health and handle a massive playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I love that.”
Does being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and require support in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”
Benefits of Coming From Beyond the US System
Coming from outside the American football world has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. 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 producing foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Sydney who claimed the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the elite level.
Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys
International athletes have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England to the Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.
Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering the sport at university, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.
Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so took up American football in his late teens. He stood out while playing for clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.
The following year, he held the championship trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is his status as 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 isn’t an issue. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a very welcoming environment, a great squad, a top organization.”
Although spending most of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Future
Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation beyond the US. The better every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of youth who play football in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to train the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back
