The Netherlands are not a very well-represented country in the National Football League (NFL). Since its inception in 1967, only five Netherlands-born players have ever played in the NFL. Two of them, Washington DT Romeo Bandison (1994-95) and two-time Super Bowl champion Harald Hasselbach (1994-2000), played more than three games.
Ask people on the streets of Amsterdam, The Hague, or Utrecht who Tom Brady, Jerry Rice, or even Patrick Mahomes is, and you'll get a "Who?" 98 out of 100 times.
Maybe, just maybe, a certain Thomas Odukoya will change that.
After leaving the Netherlands at 19, playing JuCo football at West Hills College Coalinga, and attending Eastern Michigan, the tight end has made his unlikely way to the National Football League via the NFL's International Pathway Program.
Flashscore spoke to the Tennessee Titans tight end about his journey to the promised land, his NFL adventure, and what he means to the Dutch NFL fans.
Thomas Odukoya interview - part two
Click here to read part one of Flashscore's interview with Thomas Odukoya.
In the final part of this two-part interview, Odukoya and Flashscore's Paul Winters discuss the Titan's road to the NFL, his role for the fans and dreamers back home, and growing up without the same role models as his American teammates.
Flashscore: How did you experience going from Eastern Michigan to the Titans as an undrafted free agent, as a Dutch player who started playing the sport later?
"I started playing American football when I was 16 years old. I went to the United States at age 19 to play football at junior college level, and a year-and-a-half later, I went to Eastern Michigan.
"Before I start playing, and I think about how it’s coming up and the meetings are about to start, I get a nervous feeling. I felt that with every step, from the Netherlands to JuCo, from JuCo to Division I, from Eastern Michigan to the NFL."
"It’s a step up, a higher level. I want to be good enough, but how will I place myself? But every time I entered the field, I thought about it as just football. It’s what I know and can do. I always think I belong there.
"You go up with each level. People are better, faster, stronger, but every time, after a few practices, I think I belong there. I regain my confidence, and I feel like I’m in the right spot, where I can compete with these guys. Then it’s mentally calm again, and I go back to work."
You haven’t always had the same dreams as your American teammates. You started later, didn’t grow up watching the sport, and had different dreams. It went really fast at one point. How do you look back on everything now?
"It’s funny how you say that. If you ask almost all my teammates at the age of 8 or 10 what they wanted to be when they were older, they’d have all said NFL or NBA player. For me, that possibility only came in my senior year at Eastern Michigan, that’s when I thought I had a chance.
"Before I got there, I just wanted to try to get as far as possible. Then I attended a Division I school, and I thought I’d return home after graduation. It really took until my last two years at Eastern Michigan for me to realise that playing football was my dream and that I wanted to do it for as long as possible.
"It went really fast by that point. It was during the 2020 season that scouts started to approach me and tell me I had a chance. That’s when I realised I had a real opportunity, and I wanted to go for it."
How special is it all for you?
"Yeah, I still have to pinch myself sometimes. Especially against Buffalo during my first game, it felt weird from the very first snap. I just thought ‘wow’. It felt so weird because I’d worked so long for that moment.
"Sometimes I think to myself how it’s going bad with the team, my body is aching, I look up to training again, and I tell myself: ‘What are you talking about? You dreamed about this for so long, millions of people dream to be right where you are.’
"That’s when you get some extra appreciation again for what you do. It’s easy to lose yourself in your routine with aching knees, the team isn’t performing well, you're longing for vacation, and thinking about when the season is over. This is a blessing. It’s an incredible opportunity to be here."
It's good that you say that. I attended a football camp in Leiden last year, which over 130 young players attended. They learned from Justin Fields and Christian Wilkins, and they share your dreams. What would you tell them right now, and what would your advice be?
"I’d tell them that no dreams are too crazy. If it's truly something you want, go for it. When I lived in the Netherlands, I decided to attend junior college, which is not a common choice for many people from outside the United States.
"When I was at junior college, there weren’t many players who went from junior college to Division I. When I was at Eastern Michigan, there weren’t many players from the university or the MAC who went on to play in the NFL.
"I went for it as hard as possible every time, and it worked out in the end.
"Young players in the Netherlands: don’t think you’re too small, don’t think you can’t do it, don’t think you can’t compete with the Americans. Just go for it. If it’s really something you want, no dream is too crazy. Give a hundred per cent and see where it goes."
When did you realise that you’re an example to those young players as the first Dutch player to play in the NFL in 24 years?
"When I first signed with the Titans, I suddenly got so much support and so many messages from Dutch football fans, from people I’ve known and hadn’t talked to in years, but also from so many young players who said it was so cool I was doing this, that it was their dream, and that they looked up to me. That was a really special moment.
"Of course, I’m from the Netherlands; my family and friends still live there, and I sometimes go on holiday there, but I haven’t been there for a long time. And then I receive so much support, with numerous articles written about me, as well as radio shows and interviews featuring me.
"It’s so special what’s happening. It’s history - 24 years without a Dutchman. It’s also a special moment. I definitely don’t take it for granted."
It's also not the smallest name you’re stepping in the footsteps of, two-time Super Bowl champion Harald Hasselbach.
"Absolutely. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2020, so it’s a massive shame that I didn’t get the chance to talk to him. It’s a special connection. When I started playing football in the Netherlands, I recall his name being mentioned as the one Dutchman who had achieved it.
"Of course, it’s someone you look up to, especially when I was a 16-year-old playing for the Flevo Phantoms. Around that time, you also had Geraldo Boldewijn at the Falcons and Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe at the Chargers, who were signed as undrafted free agents in the offseason and released before the season. Those were the guys I looked up to.
"Hopefully, another Dutchman joins the NFL soon, too. I don’t know how things are going in the Netherlands. I believe there are two Dutch players playing college football here. Hopefully, one of them or someone still in the Netherlands will come, and I hope I can be an example and inspiration for them."
I remember when you entered the league, and it filled me with pride, too. There isn’t much, if any, Dutch representation in the NFL. You’re our face in the league currently.
"It’s really cool. I have the Dutch flag as a sticker on my helmet as the only one in the NFL. It gives national pride. I want to make everyone in the Netherlands proud.
"The NFL does it really well; the stickers are cool, they write about foreign players on the team websites - it’s really cool. They see how special it is as well."
Are you in contact with Corliss Waitman?
"Yes! Technically, he’s Belgian, of course, but he grew up in Amsterdam. Corliss and I are talking. We played against each other two years ago in the preseason; we took photos together and talked a bit. Sometimes we send each other a message on Instagram and that sort of stuff, so that’s cool."
You didn’t start as a tight end, but as a defensive end, among other positions.
"Correct. Defensive end, guard, defensive tackle, I played fullback… It was more about where they needed me to play. When I went to the United States, my JuCo coach told me I looked like a tight end because I wasn’t as heavy as the other offensive linemen.
"It was between defensive end and tight end, so I chose tight end because we had four tight ends on the roster, and I thought that was my best chance. I became the starter that year, so I made a good choice and stuck to the position.
"When I was recruited from JuCo, a couple of schools wanted to see if I could play on the offensive line or at defensive end, but I wanted to stay at tight end because I thought I was good enough to play at that position at that level. I think it was a good decision; I find the tight end position the best because I can do so many different things."
Who were the players that made you love American football?
"When I started playing, Rob Gronkowski was a really good player. J.J. Watt was another guy I watched a lot."
Also scored touchdowns…
"(Laughs) Absolutely. On defence, though, I thought it was an amazing sport. At the time, the Legion of Boom defence were playing for the Seahawks, and I thought they were the best defence ever. They were the teams and players I looked up to and loved watching when I started playing."
You haven’t played in Europe yet, have you?
"No! We had the Ravens game in London two years ago, but I was on the practice squad, so I was inactive. It was still a special moment, though. I had 26 friends and family members come to the game; it was the first and only NFL game for many of them.
"It takes a lot of time and money to attend my games, but London was easier because it was so close. There were also a couple of Dutch guys with Thomas Odukoya jerseys, which was really cool.
"We have no games in Europe this year, but hopefully we will have some next season. Hopefully, we'll play in Amsterdam one day; that would be amazing. I know they’re trying to expand every year; they’re going to Australia next year, Brazil, and there are games in Germany, Spain, London has had games for years, and Mexico. Why not the Johan Cruyff ArenA?
"Given the number of people in the Netherlands who will think it’s their only chance to attend an NFL game, it’ll likely sell out in no time."
Click here to read part one of Flashscore's interview with Thomas Odukoya.