Sheahon Zenger was introduced as KU's new athletic director on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011, during a press conference at Hadl Auditorium.

The bill for expenses related to Kansas University’s recent athletic director search totaled just more than $6,200.

That’s according to records obtained after a Journal-World open records request seeking invoices from KU pertaining to the search that concluded when the university hired Sheahon Zenger.

The total bill was far less than the search that resulted in the hiring of Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little in 2009, which cost $162,000. That search was far more costly because of the involvement of a professional search firm, and because both the university and the Kansas Board of Regents incurred expenses from the search.

The bill from the search firm alone totaled more than $120,000 in the chancellor search.

The documents also confirm some additional details about the athletic director search.

For example, KU appeared to interview three separate candidates for the job. Two stayed overnight in the Raphael Hotel in Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 6 and 7.

One candidate is known, according to media reports. Bubba Cunningham, the University of Tulsa’s athletic director, was reported to have interviewed at KU before signing an extension at his current job.

KU provided a document detailing Delta and United flights for a second candidate on Dec. 7. Though the university redacted details that would have revealed the flights’ original location, the candidate flew through Detroit on the way to Kansas City, and through Chicago on the way out. The total cost was $405.30.

A third candidate — likely Zenger — appeared to have been interviewed on Dec. 30, when a plane flight went from Lawrence to Chicago and back. That flight likely carried Gray-Little to Illinois to speak with Zenger, who was hired on Jan. 2.

That flight, a private flight, comprised the bulk of the expenses. It cost $4,627.65.

The private flight was paid for with state funds, which is typical for KU because of federal regulations governing private flights.

KU covered the rest of the search expenses — conference calls, food for the search committee and advertisements posting the position opening — with private funds.

Though Kansas Athletics Inc. reported it hadn’t incurred any expenses for the search to date, it will still be responsible for paying Zenger’s moving expenses, according to his contract.