Poll Results: Pennsylvanians want PSU to Restore Joe Paterno Statue

The majority of Pennsylvanians would like to see the Joe Paterno statue restored on the Penn State University campus, according to a recent poll conducted by the Quinnipiac University.

"It appears time heals all wounds and legends get a second chance," said Tim Malloy, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

For this poll, the university surveyed 1,023 adult residents from Jan. 22 to Feb. 1. The researchers found that 59 percent of them wanted the to see the Paterno statue back on campus right outside of the Beaver Stadium whereas only 25 percent of the residents opposed.

Penn State removed the nearly seven-feet tall and more than 900-pound statue in July 2012 after the Jerry Sandusky child molestation conviction. At the time, the university and the NCAA had also invalidated the football wins under Paterno. The school was also fined $60 million while football scholarships were temporally taken away.

Earlier this year, the NCAA restored all 112 wins to the school, making Paterno the winningest coach in major college football history. As a part of the new settlement, the $60 million fine will be used to address child abuse within the state. The poll found that the majority of Pennsylvanians, at 64 percent, also supported this agreement between the NCAA and Penn State. 15 percent did not agree with the new settlement.

When the wins were restored, many people started to wonder whether or not the statute would be next. At the time, the university president, Eric Barron, stated that "there will be a time and place" to decide on whether or not the statue will once again stand on campus.

Last week, the Penn State Alumni Association executive director, Roger Williams, talked about the Paterno statue.

He stated to USA TODAY Sports, "Coach Paterno had iconic status across the country. I certainly hope we're at the beginning of a process that will see his rightful place in the pantheon of college sports be reclaimed over the next several years."

The margin of error for the poll was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.