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While the United States is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born players. Only five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the game by attending university in the United States. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible given he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and never played pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing locally and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his dreams to go to university in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. 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 usually buy me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the IPP program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to train younger players from around the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role supporting rookies, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had not played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and routines: how to look after their body and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who did not play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and require help 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 rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are truly curious. NFL buildings are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than developing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who claimed the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been specialists, brought in from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport at university, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not built for his preferred games, football and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while representing teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really welcoming environment, a great squad, a top franchise.”

Despite devoting the majority of training with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my best man, actually – played 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 LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is aware he represents more than just Italy and Austria. “I would say every nation outside the US. The better every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of young people who play football in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are welcomed to the US annually to coach the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back