Joe Paterno ranks near the top of the kind of poll in which it's best to be at the bottom.

The New York Times polled readers on whether statues of 16 Americans such as Paterno, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Strom Thurmond should be taken down. At the Times framed it: "The line between history's heroes and villains is hard to draw. Where would you put it?"

Eighty-one percent of respondents voted for Paterno's statue to come down. That tied him with Confederacy president Jefferson Davis. The only person who garnered more votes in favor of removing his statue was Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Confederate general who became a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Seventy-five percent supported removal of the statue of Lee, the Confederate general and lighting rod in the debate over whether Americans with tarnished histories deserve statues.

The list of 16 also included former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, known for his aggressive police approach toward African-Americans, with 55 percent of respondents saying his statue could come down.

Of course, Paterno's statue, which long occupied a place of honor in front of Beaver Stadium, was taken down in the midst of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal. But there has been talk by people including some Penn State trustees of resurrecting the statue, which reportedly has been in storage at a secret location.