Beginnings At least nine foreign-born players played in the inaugural
1920 NFL season. These included: • German brothers
John Nesser and
Phil Nesser for the
Columbus Panhandles. They were part of the
Nesser Brothers, one of American football's most famous families of the early 20th century. • Canadian
Tommy Hughitt, player-coach for the
Buffalo All-Americans. A star quarterback for the
Michigan Wolverines football team before joining the NFL, he was named to the
1922 All-Pro Team by
George Halas. As Buffalo's head coach, he led the team to 34 wins, 15 losses, and 7 ties from 1920 to 1924. • Irishman
Bob Nash for the
Akron Pros. He contributed to several firsts in NFL history, including being the first player to score a touchdown on a fumble recovery and later was the first captain of the
New York Giants. He was also part of the first player-trade between league teams when he was sold to the Buffalo All-Americans prior to a game in 1920 for $300 () and five percent of the gate receipts.
Latin America The first Latino to play in the NFL was
Ignacio Saturnino "Lou" Molinet, a Cuban who signed with the
Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1927. His contract was donated to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame by his daughter in 2000. Following Molinet were brothers
Jess Rodriguez and
Kelly Rodriguez of Spain: Jess was a tailback for the
Buffalo Bisons in 1929, while Kelly played for the Yellow Jackets and
Minneapolis Red Jackets in 1930. In 1944, the
Philadelphia Eagles drafted
Steve Van Buren, a halfback born in
La Ceiba, Honduras, to an American father and a Spanish mother. He played eight seasons for the Eagles, and retired as the NFL's career leader in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. In 1965, Van Buren became the first Latino inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1948, the
Los Angeles Rams drafted
Tom Fears. Fears was born in
Guadalajara, Mexico, to an American father and a Mexican mother. He led the Rams' receiving game as a
split end from 1948 to 1956, winning an
NFL championship with the team in 1951. He later became the first Latino head coach in the history of the league, heading the
New Orleans Saints staff from their inauguration in 1967, through the 1970 season. Fears was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970. The first Colombian player in the NFL was
Jairo Peñaranda, born in 1958 in
Barranquilla. He played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles. He would be followed by
Fuad Reveiz, born in 1963 in
Bogotá. Reveiz played for the Miami Dolphins during the 1985 season, and later for the San Diego Chargers and Minnesota Vikings. During his 11 years as a professional, he scored 188 field goals and 367 extra points.
Martín Gramática, an Argentinian, was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a placekicker in the
1999 NFL draft. He later played for the Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints. His brother,
Bill, was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in
2001, and would later play for the Miami Dolphins.
Cairo Santos, a Brazilian kicker, is the first NFL player born in
Brazil. He currently plays for the
Chicago Bears, holding three franchise records. He also holds nine
Kansas City Chiefs franchise records. After him, Durval Queiroz spent time with the Miami Dolphins.
Sammis Reyes was the first Chilean to play in the NFL. He signed with the
Washington Commanders in 2021 after playing basketball in Chile and played primarily on
special teams.
Europe Several native Europeans played in the NFL's inaugural 1920 season, including fullback
John Barsha of Russia, tackle
John Kvist of Sweden, end
Bob Nash of Ireland, and brothers
John and
Phil Nesser from Germany. Fullback
Ace Gutowsky from
Russia played for the
Detroit Lions from 1932 to 1938, and became the franchise's career leader in rushing yards. Contemporary sources credit Gutowsky with setting the NFL's career rushing yards record with 3,399 in 1939 as a member of the
Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1950, the
San Francisco 49ers used their first draft pick as an NFL franchise on
Leo Nomellini, a defensive tackle from the
University of Minnesota who was born in
Lucca, Italy, and moved to Chicago at a young age. Nomellini played with the 49ers until he retired in 1963 after 10 Pro Bowl invitations and nine
All-Pro selections. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969 and the
Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.
Garo Yepremian, born in
Larnaca,
Cyprus, was a placekicker for the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a career from 1966 to 1981. He won two Super Bowls and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Dolphins, as well as a first-team kicker on the
NFL 1970s All-Decade Team. Yepremian may best be remembered for a blunder during the Dolphins' victory in
Super Bowl VII, in which his attempt to pass the ball after a blocked field goal attempt resulted in a fumble returned 49 yards for the Washington Redskins' only touchdown of the game.
Scandinavia has produced the two lone exclusive
placekickers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Jan Stenerud came from
Fetsund, Norway, to the U.S. by way of a skiing scholarship to
Montana State University. There he picked up placekicking, and was drafted by the
Kansas City Chiefs in the
1966 AFL draft. He played 19 seasons in the AFL and NFL with the Chiefs,
Green Bay Packers, and
Minnesota Vikings and kicked a then-record 373 field goals.
Morten Andersen, born in
Copenhagen,
Denmark, played 25 seasons in the NFL for five different teams. Nicknamed the "Great Dane", he is the NFL's career leader in field goals made and attempted, games played, and points scored. He retired as the career franchise leader in points scored for both the
New Orleans Saints and
Atlanta Falcons. English-born placekicker
John Smith played for the
New England Patriots from 1974 to 1983. Although he led the league in scoring twice and was invited to the Pro Bowl in 1980, he is best known for kicking a game-winning field goal against the
Miami Dolphins in 1982 in the famous
Snowplow Game. Other notable Englishmen include
Atlanta Falcons placekicker
Mick Luckhurst, who went on to present
Channel 4's NFL coverage on UK television from 1987 to 1991, two-time Pro Bowl defensive end
Osi Umenyiora and former Eagles running back
Jay Ajayi. While with the
Miami Dolphins in 2016, the London-born Ajayi became the fourth player in NFL history to rush for 200 or more yards three times in a season. He also became the first London-born
skill position player to play in his hometown, when the Dolphins faced the Saints in the
NFL International Series at
Wembley Stadium in 2017. The New York Giants' current kicker and punter were both born in
Scotland. Kicker
Graham Gano is a
2017 Pro Bowl invitee who has played for the Giants, Washington Redskins, and Carolina Panthers. Punter
Jamie Gillan, nicknamed "the Scottish Hammer," previously played for the Cleveland Browns.
Oceania In recent decades,
Polynesians—in particular
Samoans—have found great success in the NFL, so much so that the island of
American Samoa has been referred to as "Football Island" by outsiders. According to
Forbes in 2015, a Samoan male was 56 times more likely to play in the NFL than a non-Samoan male.
Vai Sikahema was the first
Tonga native in the NFL. He led the league in punt return yards in 1986 and 1987 while playing for the
St. Louis Cardinals. Sikahema's cousin,
Deuce Lutui, also from Tonga, later played seven seasons in the NFL as an offensive guard.
Super Bowl XLIII featured two Tongan offensive guards in Lutui for the Cardinals and
Chris Kemoeatu for the Steelers. The
Polynesian Football Hall of Fame was established in 2013 to honor the greatest players, coaches, and contributors of Polynesian descent in football history. Native Polynesian NFL players that have been inducted include Thompson, Tatupu, Sikahema, New Zealander
Riki Ellison, and Samoans
Jesse Sapolu and
Maa Tanuvasa. Tongan
Ma'ake Kemoeatu, cousin of Chris, was announced as an inductee for the 2018 class. native
Hines Ward Asia Placekicker
John Lee was the first Asian drafted in the NFL. He was born in
Seoul, South Korea. The four-year, $900,000 contract he signed with the Cardinals in 1986 was the richest in NFL history for a kicker. Although highly successful in college for the
UCLA Bruins, he lasted only one season in the NFL.
Younghoe Koo, who was also born in Seoul, has found more success. A
2020 Pro Bowler, Koo has kicked for the Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons, and became known for his ability to successfully execute
onside kicks. One of the most popular Asian-born players in NFL history is
Hines Ward. Born in Seoul to a Korean mother and African-American serviceman, Ward played 14 seasons for the
Pittsburgh Steelers from 1998 to 2011 and previously coached in the NFL. During his career he won two Super Bowls, was invited to four Pro Bowls, and set numerous Steelers franchise receiving records. Ariri also encouraged fellow Nigeria native
Donald Igwebuike to tryout as kicker for the
Clemson Tigers football team. The Buccaneers cut Ariri after the 1984 season and signed Igwebuike, who went on to become Tampa Bay's career leader in field goals and scoring. A later representative of Nigeria was fullback
Christian Okoye of
Enugu, who became famous as the "Nigerian Nightmare" due to his powerful running style and ability to break tackles. Players representing Africa as of the 2017 season include
Kenya native
Daniel Adongo for the
Indianapolis Colts as an outside linebacker,
Liberia native
Tamba Hali, a five-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker for the
Kansas City Chiefs, and
Ghana native
Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah, a defensive end for the
Detroit Lions. Despite his young career, Ansah has been called one of the most influential and greatest Africans to play in the NFL.
Australia Recent seasons have seen a surge of Australians in the NFL primarily at the punter position. As punting is a vital aspect of
Australian rules football, many players develop a skill set suited for American football. The first Australian in the NFL was
Melbourne native
Colin Ridgeway, a punter who played a single season with the
Dallas Cowboys in 1965. The first punter to spend significant time in the league was
Darren Bennett, who was a punter for the
San Diego Chargers and
Minnesota Vikings from 1995 to 2005. He is credited with having paved the way for the upsurge of recent Australian punters in the NFL, which includes
Ben Graham,
Matt McBriar,
Brad Wing,
Saverio Rocca,
Jordan Berry, and
Lac Edwards. In 2015,
rugby league footballer
Jarryd Hayne of Sydney signed with the
San Francisco 49ers as an
undrafted free agent. He played a limited role in eight games for the 49ers as a running back and punt returner before returning to Australia to resume his rugby league career. Despite Hayne's brief NFL career, Scotts credited him with spurring the popularity of American football in Australia.
Canada Canadians make the most significant single source of foreign-born NFL players, due to the close
geographical, linguistic, economic, and cultural ties between Canada and the United States. Most importantly, Canadians play their own domestic
gridiron football code known as
Canadian football and have their own professional equivalent to the NFL, the
Canadian Football League (CFL). Because the two sports are very similar, American and Canadian players regularly transition between the two leagues. Canadians have played in the NFL since its inaugural season in 1920 with players such as
Perce Wilson and
Tommy Hughitt. ==List of international players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame==