UMBC works quickly to trademark Retrievers in wake of historic NCAA tourney win

The UMBC Retrievers accomplished something no team has ever done in NCAA men's basketball tournament history. However, the school was unprepared for the success that followed off the court.

In the aftermath of the Retrievers becoming the tourney's first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed when they knocked off Virginia on Friday, it was pointed out that the school didn't have trademarks for "Retrievers" or "Retriever Nation."

That changed Saturday morning. California-based attorney Darren Heitner told USA TODAY Sports that he got approval from UMBC athletic director Tim Hall to submit applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for  "Retrievers," "Retriever Nation" and "16 over 1." 

"With all the attention, it made sense for us to take care of it right away," Hall told ESPN.

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The trademark approval process isn't immediate and the filings were not online as of Sunday. Heitner said only "Retrievers" currently was used by the school. Each were Class 25 filings, which covers clothing and footwear.

Retrievers merchandise is selling briskly -- the UMBC bookstore opened this weekend to handle demand. The school can at least cut down on the sale of unauthorized merchandise without its permission with these patents.

The Retrievers are back in action Sunday evening when they take on ninth-seeded Kansas State.

Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner and Perez @byajperez