Vincent Marotta, The Co-Founder Of Mr. Coffee, Has Died At 91

Vincent Marotta, one of the founders of the iconic brand Mr. Coffee, whose moniker has been found in American households and college dorm rooms for decades, has died at the age of 91.

Marotta, along with his high school friend Samuel Glazer, developed the brand after consulting with former Westinghouse engineers to design a restaurant-style drip-brewing system.

In 1973, Marotta successfully convinced legendary career Yankee Joe DiMaggio to appear as a spokesman for the brand.

"I rang Joe DiMaggio up on a Saturday morning," Marotta told NPR in 2005, explaining how he convinced The Yankee Clipper to take the gig. "It was about 11 a.m.; I shall never forget this.

He answered the phone and I told him who I was, and of course, he said, `What's the name of that product?' And I said, 'Mr. Coffee. You haven't heard of it, Mr. DiMaggio, 'cause it's brand-new.' And he said, 'Well, I have heard of it.' He said, 'Yes, I was playing in a golf tournament last week. I won one as a prize.'"

In 1987, Marotta and Glazer sold their company, North American Systems Inc., which manufactured Mr. Coffee machines, for an estimated $182 million.