🔗 Share this article

While the US is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by US-born players. Just five percent of participants are foreign-born, and most of them enter the sport by attending university in the United States. True international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s story exceptional.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he called a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing locally and soon aspired to become the first NFL QB born in Europe. He got as far as playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to college in the US were too expensive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would switch my shifts and help out. 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 wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

It was here that he met Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to work with younger players from around the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, working closely with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a very active role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had not played the game. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and routines: how to look after their body and handle a huge game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Is being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and require support in the same ways. If players understand you can help 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.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about 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 people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who won the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

International Players and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

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 Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, football and handball, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while representing teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the national side, and was offered a place on the IPP in 2021.

The following year, he held the championship trophy as a member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see game time on the gridiron. Is being a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really inclusive environment, a excellent team, a great franchise.”

Although spending most of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “In my view all the countries outside the United States. The better every IPP graduate does, the more youth who participate in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida annually to coach the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back