There’s a ‘Spaniard’ in the NFL: the story of Jake Ferguson

NFL fever is running high in Spain this week with the league’s official arrival. On Sunday, at the Bernabéu, the first-ever game on the Iberian Peninsula will be played. The Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders will face off in a match that will mark a turning point for American football in Spain.

Jake Ferguson speaks about his Spanish roots

Currently, there are no Spanish players in the league (the most recent were Alejandro Villanueva and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside), although there is one player very proud of his Spanish roots. Jake Ferguson of the Dallas Cowboys, is one of the hottest tight ends right now: in 2025, he has six touchdowns and 56 receptions for 384 yards. He does all this while wearing a Spanish flag on his helmet to honor his Spanish heritage.

“I’m trying to be one of the best in the league. I feel like I’m on the right track and hopefully I can keep it up,” said Jake Ferguson, who in late 2023 spoke exclusively to Diario AS via video call, his first time speaking to a Spanish media outlet after surprising everyone by wearing the country’s flag on his helmet.

The Cowboys player, who had some notes about his family history with him, spoke from the outset with great pride about his Spanish roots, which he inherited from his grandfather Barry Alvarez, a former coach and college football legend.

“My grandfather has been a very important part of my life. He was always there for me growing up, and he still is. He always talked to me about Spain and was very proud of his Spanish heritage,” Ferguson said before explaining his origins. “My great-grandfather was Spanish and emigrated to the United States; he spent time going back and forth. We still have family there in Ranón (Asturias), next to the airport.”

But the story goes even further, and Ferguson’s interest in his ancestry is remarkable.

“I went on a website about ancestors and looked into it a bit more. My great-great-grandmother, Elvira, was married to Ángel Molina. They emigrated to the United States in 1921, and there they had my great-grandmother, also named Elvira. My great-grandfather, Antonio, was born in the United States, although he moved to Spain when he was little,” he recalled about his grandfather’s father, the last member of his direct family to live in Spain.

“Later, he returned to the United States. During World War II, they wanted him to fight, but he refused, so he was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. His older brother, Luis, arranged for him to be exchanged for a French prisoner, so he was released on French soil. When he had enough money, he bought the land that my family still owns in Ranón, next to the airport.”

Despite being born in Rapid City, 4,513 miles away from Ranón, Jake always heard about Spain and Asturias in his family.

“I met my great-grandfather Antonio when I was very young. He died when I was five. When we were all together, he didn’t talk about World War II, he just chatted about how much he loved Spain,” said Ferguson, who had visited the country, though not the region he came from. “I’ve been to Marbella and Seville, but I still haven’t been able to go up north to see my family. It’s something I really want to do,” he said at the time. So far, there’s no trace on his social media of a visit to the region.

“I grew up listening to my grandfather talk about his visits to Spain and so on; it’s always been something that intrigued me, and he feels completely Spanish. It’s incredible to me. I say, ‘Okay, you’re Spanish, and I’m your grandson, so I’m Spanish,’ and I believe it. I carried the Spanish flag because I wanted to show that I have love for my Spanish roots. It may not be 100% heritage, but I have a little bit of Spain in me,” he explained about an action that caught the attention of many.

“It reached people there, and I got quite a few messages. I have a distant relative, I think he’s my third cousin, who wrote to me and said, ‘I know you, you’re great, I think our great-grandparents were related,’ and we chatted a bit.”

When Jake wore the Spanish flag for the first time, it wasn’t part of the NFL’s plans, at least not the NFL’s, which released the list of players participating in the program honoring players’ heritage, and the Cowboys’ star wasn’t on it.

“They told us that if we wanted to put a flag on our helmet, we had to provide proof; you can’t just make it up. So I sent things, I showed my roots,” Ferguson recalled with striking enthusiasm. “I wanted to wear the Spanish flag and show my love for Spain on my helmet, to have it represented just like the American flag.”

He also shared an anecdote: “My great-great-grandmother’s family started making sausages, and to this day they still send them to us every year from Spain. I say I’m so big (1.96 meters and 110 kilos) because I only eat sausages from there,” he said, laughing, about a food he declared himself devoted to. “What I want to do is go there and stay for a week, try everything and meet the people, pretend I live there.”

The player himself admitted that being so aware of his family’s origins has even helped him in the development of his athletic career.

“My grandfather always talks to me about his father. It wasn’t easy for them; they didn’t have much money and always fought to achieve what they wanted,” he said. “They once had eight people living in a one-bedroom house, and when they came to the United States, it was the same situation. My family worked incredibly hard before me so that I could be in this position. Seeing that makes me want to work to honor them in the best way I can.”

With that connection to his roots, the possibility of playing in Spain is obviously something that excites Ferguson.

“It would be incredible. I know the Spanish community; they love sporting events. It would be electric, and I would be really looking forward to it. It’s something I truly want to do. I talk to people around here and say, ‘Guys, we’re going to play in Madrid. I’ll take you and show you around, introduce you to my family, and we’ll have some fun.’ So yes, it would be extremely exciting.” He didn’t have that luck in the first match, but why not in the future?

When talking to Jake Ferguson, it’s not all about Spain. In what was his second season in the NFL, the Cowboys’ tight end had already established himself as one of the league’s best.

“The first season was more about settling in, learning to be a professional, and making the most of every situation, every opportunity I had. This year it’s full speed ahead. I see that I can make a difference on offense, that I’m a key part of it, and that’s what I want to keep doing,” explained Ferguson, who two years later, remaining humble, is having another great season. “I want to keep improving every day. That’s how I approach things. Every day, finding one small thing to work on to improve.”

It’s fair to say that the tight end’s career path is marked by patience. At the University of Wisconsin, where his grandfather coached from 1990 to 2005, he sat out his entire freshman year after being redshirted.

“You have to be patient; you can’t want everything right away because you’ll end up with a bad mentality. First, you have to prove your worth in practice, focus on the little things, and do them well. And then the big opportunities come, where you have to take advantage and do your best.”

A pivotal moment in his development was his summer of 2023, when he was invited to the renowned Tight End University, where the best tight end players gather to practice together.

“I learned a lot. Travis Kelce and George Kittle were there, some of the best, even Gronkowski, who doesn’t play anymore. Everyone was giving advice. As a young player, learning from these veterans who have done incredible things is something that motivates you. You start picking up these little things from each of their games and incorporating them into your own. It’s a great learning experience. And you get to meet these guys, discover what kind of people and players they are.”

Before that, Ferguson had to earn his spot on a historic franchise after being selected in the fourth round of the Draft.

“There’s always a little pressure. It’s a league where if you don’t perform, there are other guys and they’ll look for a replacement. My job is to make sure that doesn’t happen by winning games and doing everything I can for the team.”

And that’s exactly what he’s done. He’s an offensive leader on the most valuable team in sports world, having earned the trust of his quarterback, Dak Prescott.

“The only thing that matters to me is winning.” Jake’s goal in the NFL remains clear: to win a Super Bowl for the Cowboys for the first time since 1995. This year, however, with the team at 3-5-1 and facing numerous problems, it seems unlikely.

“That’s the ultimate goal. I think everyone in the locker room has the same mentality, and that’s what makes this team great,” he said, though he acknowledged that there are still some unfinished tasks. “Personally, I have to work on the little things. I try to perfect the smallest details every day. The little things are the most important, and you have to put them together. As a team, it’s the same. You can’t get overly happy just because you had a good day. You have to want to prolong it. And if you have a bad day, don’t let it affect you too much.”

For the 26-year-old, it all comes down to winning: “I have one goal, and it’s the team’s goal. I just want to win the Super Bowl.”

He also has another goal, this one off the field: “I want to go to Spain. But right now, I want to win the Super Bowl,” said Jake Ferguson, clearly enamored with Spain and his roots, who bid farewell to Diario AS with a message for Spanish fans.

“Hello Spain! We are Cowboys. Buy a Cowboys jersey with the number 87, you know, because I’m Spanish,” he laughs. “I really want to go there, I really want to. I want to go and meet my family, everyone. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and I grew up listening to my grandfather talk about his Spanish heritage, and I just want to embody that.”

The hottest tight end in the NFL is Spanish, and very proud of it.

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