Dan Jenkins is an American author and sportswriter, most notably for Sports Illustrated. Jenkins was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended R.L. Paschal High School and Texas Christian University, where he played on the varsity golf team. Jenkins has worked for many publications including the Fort Worth Press, Dallas Times Herald, Sports Illustrated, and Playboy. In 1985, he retired and began writing books full time, although he maintains a monthly column in Golf Digest magazine.

Larry L. King has called Jenkins "the quintessential Sports Illustrated writer" and "the best sportswriter in America." Jenkins has written numerous works and over 500 articles for Sports Illustrated. In 1972, Jenkins wrote his first novel, Semi-Tough. Jenkins now lives in Florida with his family. His daughter, Sally Jenkins, is a sportswriter for the Washington Post.