King of the teenage pranksters grows up -- but still laughs at streaking, rat-tossing

By Branigan Knowlton

May 16, 2005 | Many people think about doing it, but few ever do. Mounting up the courage, shaking off the nerves, and then finally stripping off your clothes to streak like a madman.

In the spring of 1997 Jadee Talbot was sitting at Franklin Covey Field in Salt Lake City, watching his high school's baseball team play for the state championship. His team was losing badly.

"I thought to myself, my team is losing, the fans are bored, how can I improve this situation?" Talbot said. "I thought a good streak job would do the trick."

Talbot said he announced his intentions to his friends sitting with him and asked if any of them would pay to see such an act. A pot of more than $200 was offered.

"I'd run naked through church for $200," Talbot said.

Talbot made his way into the grass-seating section in the outfield and hid behind a concession stand. He began to think about what it was he was about to do.

"Even though I was thinking about the consequences, I was taking my clothes off at the same time. I was going to do it no matter what," Talbot said.

There he stood, naked, except for his socks and shoes. He put his shirt over his head, tucked his shorts under his arm like a football, took a deep breath, and then ran like there was no tomorrow.

His friends knew where the streak was to start from, so as soon as they saw his naked body running they announced it to the crowd.

"You should have seen our vice principal. She fell to the floor laughing," said Ty Williamson, a friend of Talbot's.

Talbot sprinted from left field to right-center field. He said he would have gone the whole length of the outfield, but he could see security guards in the right field bleachers. He threw his clothes over the perimeter fence and then climbed over himself.

"I thought I had gotten away with it, but a few days later I got called into the principal's office. They barked at me, saying something about pressing charges. In the end, I got suspended from school for two days," Talbot said.

Oh, to be in high school, a time when rules mean nothing and fun means everything. The name of the game is secrecy. How many girls can you kiss without the others finding out? How much trouble can you cause without getting caught?

Parents of America, examine the life of Jadee Talbot. After reading his story you may pay more attention to what it is your high school student is doing each night.

Streaking was just one of the many juvenile highlights from Talbot's high school life that his parents never knew about. He forged his dad's signature on the suspension slips and would hang out at his friend's house whenever he got suspended. He's 25 now and said he's still scared to tell his parents about all the things he did in high school.

"I figure, I'm a good guy now. I work with disabled children, I coach youth sports leagues, my parents don't need to know about all my past misdeeds," Talbot said.

Talbot left a legacy of misdeeds at Murray High School. His brother Chad is a senior at MHS and said teachers often ask him if he's related to the infamous mischief maker.

"I hear more funny stories about my brother from teachers than I do him," said Chad.

Chad said a teacher recently told him that his brother wore the same pair of shorts his entire senior year as part of a bet. Chad asked his brother about it and Talbot confirmed the story's truth.

"A friend and I had a contest to see who could wear the same pair of shorts the longest. We both made it to May, but I won because the other kid's mom threw his shorts out. You could see his underwear from about three different angles, she couldn't stand it anymore. She bought us both like three new pair of shorts," Talbot said.

Talbot's high school life was filled with victories.

He was the star midfielder on the school lacrosse team, which won back-to-back state championships his junior and senior years. His teams didn't lose a game during that time.

During his senior year the team got into a fight with its archrival. Talbot said he was on the sideline when the fight broke out. He was holding players back from running on the field at first, but then he saw his best friend get hit from behind.

"I took off on a dead sprint at the guy who cheap shotted my friend. The kid's helmet was off and he was straddling my friend, punching him in the back of the head. As I approached him I wound up my stick and let him have it right in the face. I jumped on him and didn't stop throwing punches until some adult tackled me," Talbot said.

The fight was eventually stopped, but for his actions Talbot was suspended for the championship game to be played the following week, which his team won 13-6. The victory didn't make Talbot feel better.

"We won, but I still felt like I let my teammates and myself down. I'm still involved with high school lacrosse and it bothers me when I run into someone who knows about the fight. They don't talk about the state championships, or my scoring records, just the fight. I hate it," Talbot said.

Talbot has never been one to back down from confrontation.

Talbot played on the basketball team as a junior. His coach was known for his in-your-face approach to motivation. Talbot said that it was hardly motivation. Most of the time he would just yell and insult the players, he said. Late in the season Talbot's team was competing for first place and was playing the league's other top team.

"I gave everything I had during that game. I was all over the floor, I was hitting all my shots, there was no reason to yell at me," Talbot said.

Talbot's team lost and after the game the coach began yelling at him directly in his face.

"He told me I was good for nothing. He was spitting as he talked. I couldn't take it anymore. I pushed him away from me, took off my jersey and then threw it right in his face. I may have said a few choice words at him too," Talbot said.

The coach called Talbot the next day and apologized. He also asked him to come back to the team. He did, but only for the rest of that year. He chose not to play as a senior. He chose to channel his energy towards mischief.

It was the last home basketball game of his senior year. Talbot said he and his friends had made a name for themselves because of their pranks. The basketball game was the perfect stage for their final masterpiece.

He said halftime of the final game is reserved for honoring the team's seniors. After the short program the drill team performs its final dance of the year. The final game is always the most crowded, he said.

"The drill team was in its frozen pose on the ground waiting for the music to start. That's when I did it," Talbot said.

Talbot threw a jumbo-size rat out onto the court.

"The thing crawled up and over two different girls' legs before the music even started. When the music started a few of the girls tried to go on with the dance, a few started screaming and some others ran to the locker room. It was classic," Talbot said.

A few administrators and mothers were not as amused.

It became a witch hunt to find the person who threw the rat, he said.

None of his friends were going to turn him in. He figured he was safe.

"It got way out of hand. Girls on the drill team started offering a reward to find out who it was. They had their boyfriends from other schools coming and threatening to beat up whoever it was," Talbot said.

Talbot and his friends then thought of the perfect way to end the madness. A notoriously wild student in the school had moved abroad with his family shortly after the incident, he said. Talbot decided to write a letter to the administration, on behalf of the recently moved student, confessing to have thrown the rat.

"Somehow it worked. We sent the letter then started spreading the word at school that the moved kid threw the rat. It was perfect, except the fact we didn't get to claim the prank. It was one of our best pranks too," Talbot said.

Talbot said he's got credit for enough pranks though. Like the time he soaped a Canadian national fountain on choir trip, or the time they filled a garbage can full of water, leaned it against the principal's house door, knocked, ran, and then watched him open the door and be pushed over by the water.

He said pranks and getting into trouble were his high school identity. He said he feels remorse for some of the things he did, but he wouldn't have done it any other way.

"I may eventually tell my parents of my escapades, but not any time soon. I hope my kids have as much fun in high school as I did, well, maybe without all the trouble though. If they do have a mischievous side to them, I'll tell them to always collect on the money they're promised for doing something stupid. I still haven't seen that streaking money," Talbot said.

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