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Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is largely led by American-born players. Only five percent of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by attending university in the United States. True outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and did not participated in pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating locally and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his plans to attend college in the US proved too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my schedule and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, maximising time on the training ground, working closely with physios, the head coach and GM. It’s a really active position, which is ideal for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the game. Rookie newcomers also have to build habits and routines: learning to look after their body and handle a massive playbook. 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 compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and need support in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when people know that you care, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System

Originating from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been kickers, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and did not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at Nottingham University, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, football and handball, so took up American football in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for clubs in Austria and Germany, as well as the national side, 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 member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really welcoming culture, a great team, a top franchise.”

Despite devoting the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is always close-knit because we are a group and united, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries beyond the US. The better every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of young people who play football in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to train the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back