These Players and Trainers Not Born in the USA
Although the US is a country of immigrants, the NFL is still dominated by US-born athletes. Just five percent of players are foreign-born, and most of them step into the sport by attending university in the US. Genuine international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.
James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL
For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his father and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his plans to go to university in the US were too expensive.
“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people needed me, I would switch my schedule and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up all over London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”
This is where he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to get them into the US college system, similar to what I had hoped to do.”
Making the Leap to NFL Coaching
Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns called unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a really active position, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had not played the sport. Rookie newcomers also have to build structure and schedules: how to take care of their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”
Is being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and need help in the same ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you care, all the other stuff fades.”
Advantages of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble
Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have staff from various backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than developing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who won the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.
International Athletes and Their Journeys
International athletes have typically been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want 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 Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before discovering American football at university, has made that step. He competed in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.
Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not built for his favoured sports, football and handball, so took up American football in his late teens. He impressed while representing teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.
The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a challenge?
“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” says the player. “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, once we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very welcoming culture, a excellent team, a top franchise.”
Although spending most of training with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is always close-knit because we are a group and united, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – was a wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Future
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation beyond the US. The better each one of us performs, the more young people who participate in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida annually to coach the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back
