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Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by US-born players. Just 5% of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending university in the US. Genuine international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

James Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible given he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating in his area and quickly wanted to become the first NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to work with younger players from around the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, optimizing time on the training ground, working closely with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. Rookie rookies also have to establish structure and schedules: how to take care of their body and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who did not play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and require support in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or what accent. And when people realize that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have staff from various backgrounds, a range of experiences. 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 nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Australia who claimed 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 Journeys

International athletes have typically been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the from Italy was clearly not suited for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while representing teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the championship trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is his status as a international player still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a very welcoming culture, a great squad, a top franchise.”

Although spending most of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a group and united, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries outside the United States. The better each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida annually to train the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us return