Gunnersaurus had phone call with Mesut Ozil's agent after ex-Arsenal star offered to help

Arsenal icon Mesut Ozil stepped in to help out Jerry Quy - the man who'd spent a quarter-of-a-century under the Gunnersaurus costume - after he was let go during the pandemic

Jerry Quy was Arsenal’s famous mascot Gunnersaurus for 26 years before the Covid-19 pandemic cut short his dream job.‌

With the nation put on lockdown and Premier League matches being played behind-closed-doors, Quy – and Gunnersaurus – became surplus to requirements. Speaking to The Athletic, Quy explained: “I was in the car taking the FA Cup around so fans could see it.‌

“The guy who was driving got a text saying, ‘Arsenal have made 55 people redundant.’ I thought, ‘It won’t be me’, but I was on the list.” Quy, 71, was also left feeling hurt by the way he had been treated by the club upon his exit and wished things went differently when he was informed his time was up.

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“I was upset and disappointed. I just wanted a handshake, for some somebody to say, ‘Well, 26 years of Gunnersaurus, you did a good job’, but I didn’t get that from anybody at Arsenal.”

When it became known to the public that Quy had lost his job and Gunnersaurus was no longer needed, a number of ex-Arsenal players sent out their messages of support. However, it was a member of the squad at the time that provided the biggest act of kindness.

Mesut Ozil insisted he was willing to cover Gunnersaurus’ salary. Quy remembered: “I ended up on a three-way telephone conversation with Mesut’s agent and a solicitor who was helping at the time.

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“I would’ve done anything to keep my job, so I said, ‘Let’s give it a go’. I probably knew deep down it would never work, as Mesut was having his own issues with the club.”

The role of Gunnersaurus wasn’t the first major loss in Quy’s life though, as what happened in 2003 left him helpless with little-to-no direction. "My wife passed away and my job in publishing made me redundant,” he said. “I’d lost my job and my wife at the same time. I had no clue what to do with myself.”

Quy was then handed a lifeline by Arsenal’s Iain Cook and was asked if he would like to become one of the club’s tour guides. He declined the offer as there was no Gunnersaurus costume to hide behind and he didn’t like the idea of public speaking.

However, a friend of his gave him a nudge and urged him to get his life back on track. Quy recalled: “I used to go to the crematorium every day; just sit there and do nothing.

“A friend came round and took me out for a walk. He said, ‘Come on now, you can’t carry on like this.’ By the time we’d walked around the block, I’d rung Iain Cook and asked, ‘Is the job still available?’”

Luckily for Quy, it was. He became a tour guide at Highbury, then later at the Emirates, while maintaining his responsibility as Gunnersaurus for home games.

Being Gunnersaurus changed Quy’s personality drastically – for the better – and served up a purpose for him in life. The opportunity is something he's still thankful for to this day and often reminisces on how he landed the position and the pleasure it brought him.

Quy recollects: “In 1983, my eldest son Daniel was lucky enough to be picked as the first ever Arsenal mascot. The manager Terry Neil actually carried Daniel onto the pitch in his arms!

“About a week later I got a telephone call from the club saying, ‘We’re looking for a bit of help on matchdays in the family enclosure. Would you be interested?’ It all started from there.

"It completely changed me. If I’m not talking about Arsenal, I can be a bit quiet and reserved, but as soon as I put that head on, I became a different person. vI was more confident, more outgoing. Nobody ever got past Gunnersaurus without a high five or a hug.”