Dan Coffin earned his Bachelor's degree in English (minors in Chemistry, Biology, and Spanish) at Whitman College. He earned his Master's degree in English Literature at Claremont Graduate University. He has taught for almost twenty years in schools in California, at Logan High, and at InTech. He has taught courses in English, Biology, Chemistry, Math, and ESL. He has also worked as a technical writer and editor and is the author of 4 books. He has also coached soccer and basketball, in addition to having advised journalism, math, and multicultual clubs.

He is married to Bonnie Glass-Coffin (USU professor of Anthropology) and has two sons, Ian and Jonathan.