[0:01] Jon opens the episode and previews Hall of Fame Week in Fort Lauderdale, including the August 14th induction ceremony and the USA men's Test match against Argentina on August 15th, then introduces Jill Kiddo, standing in for her late husband and 2026 inductee Kevin Kiddo.

[1:28] Jill thanks Jon for the chance to share Kevin's memories.

[1:34] Jon notes their fifty-five years together and asks about Jill's New Zealand background.

[1:49] Jill confirms she and Kevin are both Kiwis who met while working together in Sydney, Australia, a workplace relationship that wasn't really allowed at the time.

[2:23] The company's owner found out about the relationship and forced Kevin to fire Jill, which freed her up to keep traveling. She gave Kevin an ultimatum, and he chose to join her.

[3:11] Jon reflects on the leap they took, still early in their world trip together.

[3:31] Jill describes stopping in Denver on the way to England, where a contact offered Kevin a role running a sewing machine business.

[3:58] The couple overstayed their visas and briefly faced deportation before their employer sponsored their legal residency.

[4:27] While in Denver, Kevin sought out rugby, a sport he'd played since age five in New Zealand, including his standout early team at age nine.

[5:08] Kevin joined Queen City Rugby Club in Denver, where Jill first encountered American rugby culture, including asking Jon about the Zulu Warrior tradition.

[5:40] Jon explains the tradition as an occasional welcoming ritual for club members, more common before camera phones.

[6:39] Kevin moved into administration with the Eastern Rugby Union around this time, deepening his organizational role in the sport.

[6:52] Jill recounts a hair-raising story from a trip to Tijuana with the team, where Kevin was nearly detained by US customs on the way back before a teammate, an attorney, vouched for him.

[8:23] Jill recalls touring with the Eagles to England, including a lighthearted evening in Cornwall dancing with local players to spare them from the local women.

[10:27] Jill notes Kevin's relatively injury-free playing career, aside from a knocked-out tooth and a dislocated knee.

[11:41] The couple eventually gained legal residency in Denver after helping turn around the struggling business that employed them.

[13:14] After a car accident in a Denver snowstorm, Kevin decided on the spot to relocate the family to Florida.

[14:12] In Fort Myers, Kevin bought a Pip Printing franchise and became deeply involved in Florida rugby administration, eventually holding roles from club president to treasurer to secretary across multiple organizations.

[14:36] Kevin built the Florida Panthers select side, giving standout club players a path to higher-level competition.

[15:22] Jill describes touring extensively with the Panthers through the Caribbean, visiting eight to ten countries including Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica, and two trips to Cuba, where the team was closely monitored by local authorities and barely allowed to play.

[16:15] Jill credits a colleague, Gary Kent, with helping professionalize the Panthers' operations, including requiring the team to dress formally while traveling.

[17:13] A story about the Panthers being treated like celebrities after a win in Nassau, mobbed on their cruise ship home.

[18:06] Jill names Barbados as her favorite destination from the Caribbean trips, mostly for the scenery.

[19:28] Jill recounts being pickpocketed in the Dominican Republic, and a surreal visit to a heavily secured home there.

[24:11] A story about a Bermuda trip where a traveler broke his leg and Kevin helped arrange his flight home.

[24:49] Jill reflects on Kevin's lifelong love of rugby, shaped by his father and brothers, and how the sport ran through the whole family back in New Zealand.

[25:40] Jill laughs about Kevin insisting on wearing rugby gear even on unrelated family vacations, always looking to strike up a conversation.

[26:36] Jill shifts to Kevin's decades of quiet volunteer work with Rotary, noting he rarely sought credit for anything he did, in rugby or otherwise.

[27:53] After Kevin's passing, Jill discovered decades of meticulously kept rugby archives in his home office, including full magazine collections and event programs going back to the 1970s.

[29:36] Jill describes helping Rotary members sort through Kevin's memorabilia, and a researcher who later used his rugby archive to write a piece that ended up on Wikipedia.

[31:33] Jill notes how many former players and teammates have continued to check in on her since Kevin's passing.

[32:01] Jon asks if Kevin had a single favorite trip or memory.

[32:25] Jill says he loved it all equally, highlighting a ten-day Panthers tour through Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic as a standout.

[34:08] Jill and Jon compare rugby memorabilia on display in their homes, including jerseys and photo walls.

[34:57] Jill mentions the collection of unused ties from rugby and Rotary events Kevin brought home from around the world, some auctioned off as fundraisers.

[37:10] Jill recalls Kevin's boxes of business cards collected over fifty years of travel, a network she jokes she could still call on today.

[37:37] A story about a friend biking through New Zealand who was taken in by Jill's family for six months after a chance encounter with customs officials.

[39:28] Jon and Jill reflect on the hospitality and connection that define rugby culture worldwide.

[40:32] Jill describes Kevin's celebration of life, which drew over 500 people, far more than the venue was built for, a testament to how many lives he touched across rugby, Rotary, his gym community, and his four years as mayor of their town.

[42:29] Jill shares that Kevin was likely nominated for the Hall of Fame roughly two years before his passing.

[43:04] Jill reflects on deciding to run for mayor herself after Kevin's death, honoring his unfinished plans, and losing by only 34 votes.

[44:27] Jill recounts the day Kevin passed, following a heart attack after a Rotary luncheon, describing it as peaceful and finding comfort in how content he'd been that day.

[46:52] Jill reflects on their life together, arriving in the US with just $1,200 and building a full life from there.

[46:59] Jon notes the emotion the Hall of Fame committee felt discussing Kevin's induction, and how deeply he was respected by everyone who considered his nomination.

[48:13] Jon and Jill close by looking ahead to reuniting with old rugby friends at the induction ceremony.

[49:12] Jill mentions she plans to bring photo albums from the Eagles' first overseas tour to share at the event.

[49:38] Jon thanks Jill for her time and looks forward to honoring Kevin in Fort Lauderdale.

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